The Little Blue Plastic Thingy

Last updated on: January 13, 2015 at 2:36 pm by Rebecca Frech

The Little Blue Plastic Thingy 2015-01-13T14:36:41-05:00 Rebecca Frech

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

On my list of things to be thankful for, I listed the “Little blue plastic thingy that’s helping #3 read”. Some of you asked for clarification (two of you really, but who’s counting?), so here it is at long last the explanation.

#3 has trouble reading. It’s not that he’s unintelligent, it’s that he can’t see the words. We’ve had him evaluated and tested and been told that he is well below grade level on everything that requires visual input.

In desperation, I called and talked to the head of the Educational Psychology Dept. at the University of Oklahoma last month. We talked for over an hour, God bless her for her patience, and she offered to do further testing but said that it sounded like a focusing problem to her. If we would do some simple things, she said, we would be able to help him ourselves.

The most common type of focusing problem in children his age is where their eyes get confused by the contract between the white of the page and the black of the letters. The extreme contrast between the two overwhelms their eyes. Either the letter start to move or their eyes lock onto the white of the page rather than the black of the letters. If you make the color values of the two closer to each other, the theory goes, then it is less stimulating for the eye and it helps.

I was very skeptical, but willing to try anything that might actually help him. We bought blue plastic sheets used for overhead projectors and laid them over the page of the reading book. It was as if someone had turned on a switch inside of his head. By the end of the week, he as reading two and three letter words. By the next week, he was reading two letter words by sight and the three letter ones more quickly. We are printing out his math problems in blue ink on blue paper, and that helps tremendously. It is school without tears and with less frustration.

I don’t know if it is the actual plastic which helps him, or if it is like the “Magic Feather” for Dumbo (if you hold this you can fly), but it seems to help him. His eyes are now looking at the dark of the letters. He can read thanks to a little piece of blue plastic and some good advice.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 3, 2008

Yup, She Said This Too

Next Post

December 6, 2008 Six Things That Make Me Happy Meme

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Mary's cousin, mother of John the Baptist?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Rachel Sarah Elizabeth Martha