Uniqueness!

"Today you are You, that is truer
than true. There is no one alive
who is Youer than You."

~Dr. Seuss


Each one of us is unique.

We are each individuals with
distinct interests, abilities,
personalities and peculiarities.

And yet it seems that too often
we expect or assume that each
person will learn in a one size
fits all sort of way.

When I was in school I turned my
paper sideways when I wrote. I am
right handed. I could print and
write cursive very well this way and
yet teachers would continuously turn
my paper back to a vertical (up-down)
direction. I could not write as well
this way. It felt awkward to me and
my penmanship was not as good. I would
turn my paper sideways to the left and
begin writing again. As an adult, I
continue to write using this same style.

The unique and individual learning
styles of each person (and the way we
do the things we do) is important
and should always be recognized,
supported, celebrated and encouraged.

When a person is born missing a body
part that you are able to visibly see
such as a missing arm or arms, a missing
leg or legs, missing fingers/hands they
learn to compensate and use their body
in different ways to accomplish certain
tasks and daily skills.

And yet when a child is born missing their
corpus callosum, the middle section
of their brain, a body part that is not
visibly seen by others it becomes more
difficult for people to understand
why the child or adult does something
the way they do it.

To me, it is the same thing as the person
who is visibly missing a body part. Each
person is compensating for the part that
is missing and finding another way to do
a specific task or accomplish what they
need or want to do.

For example: My son, Matthew, who is
completely missing his corpus callosum,
loves spinner tops. Spinners are a
favorite toy of his and have been for
many years. When he was younger I
tried and tried to teach him to spin
the spinners the way I do it...by
holding the tiny wooden peg in the
middle with your thumb and forefinger
then twisting. It didn't work for him.
It was not Matthew's way to spin the
top. In time, through his own
determination and his own discovery
(by using the first three fingertips of
his right hand and placing them on top
of the flat wooden spinner top then
moving his fingertips in one quick
motion) he learned to spin the top.



I say poe-tay-toe and he says poe-tot-oh
but we both spin the spinner top.

He isn't able to spin the top my way
and I have tried and tried to spin
the top as fast and as good as he can
using his way but I am not able to.

One of the many things that I have
learned from my own child, Matthew,
who has Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
is that he leads the way when it comes
to his learning style and needs. I
must be a careful observer and be ready
at any time to take a detour and go in
another direction whenever necessary. I am
always thinking about how I can teach
him something and what method will work
based upon his signals, motivations and
cues.



Sometimes Matthew learns through a method
I choose to teach him and other times he
learns something that is one of his goals
by a completely different method that we
just stumble upon.

For example, Matthew loves using the computer.
We have a goal for him to learn how to under-
stand and properly use "yes" and "no" when
asked a question. I have tried to help him
reach this goal through the use of his
communication device in various ways (since
he is non-verbal) but I put it on the back-
burner because he has so many goals and this
particular goal was stumping me with respect
to HOW to try to help him learn "Yes" and "No".

Then when we discovered the Living Books
interactive animated story CD roms
(something Matthew loves using) I realized
that through LOTS of repetition in the
storybook game he began to understand the
concept of yes and no because each time I
tell Matthew it's time to stop the storybook
game he clicks on "QUIT" and sees a screen
with a "YES" and "NO" and then hears the message:
"Are you sure you want to quit?" Then he has
two choices to make..."YES" and "NO".
"YES" is written underneath a cute picture
that is different on each game. Sometimes it's
a fish and the fish will be shaking it's head
up and down for "YES" and the "NO" will have
another animal shaking it's head side-to-side
for "NO". This was the magic and miraculous
method to help teach Matthew "YES" and "NO"
and there couldn't be a better way for him.
In fact, he so clearly understands now what
"Yes" and "No" means that when he hears the
message on the game that says: "Are you sure
you want to quit?" he sneakily moves his mouse
over to the "NO" because he doesn't want to
quit even though Mom says it's time to quit.

He's learning what yes and no means and it's
even carrying over into other daily activities
such as Matthew shaking his head up and down
now for yes when I ask him a question.
It's wonderful!



Be respectful of the child's unique abilities
and be a careful observer of the child
in all they do, their motivations, what is
comfortable for them, and then nurture those
things within the child. If possible try to
blend them into something that may allow
that child to gain positive improvement in
a certain area or task without asking the
child to completely eliminate their own natural,
rhythmic, comfortable ways and abilities that
flow from within.

Celebrate the uniqueness in your child
today and let them be the guide to open
the door into their wonderful world of
learning.

Therapy Thoughts

My child, Matthew, was four months old
when he was diagnosed with Agenesis of
the Corpus Callosum. He immediately began
both early intervention therapies in our
home and I also took him to private
therapy at a child development and rehab
clinic. We did this therapy routine for
several years.


I felt that Matthew received a very good
amount of therapy services but even so it
feels like you are not ever doing enough
therapy for your child when they are
developmentally delayed and struggling to
meet their milestones in so many areas.

When I took Matthew to physical therapy
once a week at the private clinic I did
something that I wasn't sure why I did
and I am still not sure why to this day.

Because we were not always in an isolated
room during therapy sessions we often saw the
other kids in the hallways working on walking
and other things and I would catch myself
watching those kids sometimes and find one
or two that were somewhere close to where
Matthew was (who were also working on learning
what Matthew was learning) at the time.



I got it in my head somehow that Matthew
would walk when those other kids who were
also in therapy learned to walk. That was
a huge mistake and a big disappointment not
to mention unfair to my own child. I
watched many kids learn things that Matthew
was working on and watched many kids pass
up Matthew and make progress while Matthew
was still working on learning to walk.

I am not sure why we do those things to
ourselves but I know I'm not the only one
who compares my child to another child...either
a child who is typically developing or a child
who has the same diagnosis of ACC as my own
child or even another child who is somewhere
around my child's age who is also delayed.

It is definitely not an easy task to help
your child learn and to allow them to learn
according to their very own timeline and then
to be patient and trust that it will happen
when it is meant to happen and to know that
you are doing everything possible to help your
child.



Another thing that can be difficult is to finally
have that peace and know that you ARE doing
everything possible to help your child through
various therapies and then you read something
that another parent wrote in a support group
or talk with another parent who tells you what
they did for their child and how they made
such great progress and 'caught up' to their
age level or close to their age level and are
developmentally very close to where they should
be. The parent goes on to say that they know
it was the therapy that made all the difference
and is the reason behind why their child was able
to catch up.

That can be hard to hear because, as parents,
we know that we are also doing all we can to
help our child through therapy services and
yet our child maybe isn't progressing as quickly
as some children do. It is easy to second-guess
yourself. It can cause you to feel like you're
failing to provide enough therapy or the right
therapies for your child if you allow it. But
it simply is not true.



I don't understand why one child who has ACC
makes leaps and bounds through all their therapies
and another child who has ACC goes months and
months with very little progress and struggles
to learn and accomplish one new skill.

Honestly, even to this day, when I read the
words of a parent who gives credit to the
therapies that their child participated in
as the reason behind why they were able to
overcome the huge developmental delays and
move forward towards hardly knowing today
that they were so behind at one time, I catch
myself feeling the sting of wondering if I
did enough to help Matthew through therapy
services when he was younger.



Each one of our kids who has Agenesis of the
Corpus Callosum or a corpus callosum disorder
will accomplish and do exactly what it is they
are meant to do in their life. Life is such
a precious gift. Take each day one step at a
time and celebrate what YOUR child can do and
each wonderful, new thing that they learn to do.

ACC & Challenges

Because Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
or partial ACC has such a broad range
of how it may affect a person there is
no prognosis for what to expect when
you are diagnosed with ACC.

There are some common things that
tend to SOMETIMES be difficulties or
challenges for people who have ACC.

Some of those challenges can be:

Reading Comprehension - some kids and
adults learn to read but they have a
very difficult time and struggle with
remembering what they read or being
able to answer questions about what
they just read.

Handwriting and Taking Notes - some
kids and adults find it very difficult
to use handwriting as an effective way
to express their thoughts. They do much
better if they are given the ability to
type out their thoughts. They say that
it slows them down if they have to try
to put into words on paper what is in
their thoughts. Some kids in school use
what is called an Alphasmart to type
rather than write.

Math - some kids struggle with learning
math. Finding a teaching method can be
a challenge and A LOT of repetition to
learn math is required.

Social Skills - some kids and adults
take things very literally and don't
always understand the humor, irony or
wordplay in something that someone
says. They may have a difficult time
reading social cues. Often times, kids
with ACC are bullied at school and
have a very hard time making friends
and learning how to socialize with
kids their own age.

A LOT of Repetition to learn something -
this is something that is mentioned
frequently by many parents of kids who
have agenesis of the corpus callosum.
Learning something new requires a lot
of repetition before the skill is
finally learned.

Headaches - some kids and adults have
very bad headaches and even migraines.

Problems Recalling Information - knowing
something but not being able to get the
right words out.

Learning to Ride a Two Wheel Bike -
this can be a huge challenge for many
people with ACC. Some who have ACC learn
to ride a two wheel bike and some are
not able to ride a two wheel bike.

Learning to Drive a Car - some people
with ACC are not able to learn how to
drive a car. The ability to properly
judge distance and lack of depth
perception may be reasons for this.
Some people with ACC do get their
drivers license though and are able
to drive a car.

Tying Shoes - learning to tie shoes
for someone who has ACC can take a
very long time to learn.

Playing Sports like Baseball - with the
inability to judge distance and lack of
depth perception, some people with ACC
are not able to play sports like baseball
due to the threat of serious injuries to
themselves.



These are just a few things that some
people with Agenesis of the Corpus
Callosum have in common.

Diagnosing Agenesis Corpus Callosum

This is a brain with a normal corpus callosum.



This is a brain missing the corpus callosum.
Also referred to as:
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.



This is a doctor examining the results of
the MRI or CT scan.



This is a doctor reading the patient's medical
report wherein it clearly states: Agenesis of the
Corpus Callosum.




This is a doctor giving the patient the diagnosis
of Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum as revealed
in the medical reports from the patient's MRI
or CT scan and explaining the diagnosis.

This is the typical order in which a patient
would find out that they have Agenesis of
the Corpus Callosum or partial agenesis
of the corpus callosum. This is the typical
practice of many many wonderful doctors who
are aware of corpus callosum disorders, who
diagnose Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
and tell their patients the diagnosis, explain
the diagnosis to their patients and help their
patients receive any necessary medical attention
from specialists that they may need.

This is NOT, however, the typical procedure
of practice for some doctors even today as
I recently found out in the past week from
several adults.

Adult Patient #1: Was hospitalized due to
complications of strep throat. Neurologist
told patient diagnosis of agenesis of the
corpus callosum and proceeded to tell patient
"There is nothing to worry about it doesn't
affect you." The patient was shocked.
Patient said the doctor didn't even acknowledge
the fact that patient has a learning disability
or that patient was born with a midline defect.

Adult Patient #2: Went to get a copy of the
medical report from the CT scan. Read the
report and discovered it said agenesis of
the corpus callosum. Patient was not given
diagnosis from a medical doctor and would not
have known had patient not got a copy of the
medical report and read it. Patient has had
hydrocephalus since birth and was shunted at
two days old.

Adult Patient #3: Recently picked up copies
of medical reports from previous CT/MRI scans
in 2006 and 2008 and read it in the medical report
for the first time. Patient also has hydrocephalus.
Patient was not ever informed of the diagnosis
of agenesis of the corpus callosum from a medical
doctor and would not have known had patient not
picked up a copy of the medical report and read
it in the medical report.

This is disturbing news to learn. My heart
goes out to the patients who were not even
given the courtesy of receiving a diagnosis
of Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum when it was
clearly written in their medical reports.

On top of that they did not receive an explanation
about what Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum means
or what to expect. They are learning now for the
first time that many of the symptoms that they
have lived with during their life are due to
having Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.

Something is very wrong with this picture.

It is VERY evident that awareness of agenesis
of the corpus callosum and disorders of the
corpus callosum needs to begin in the medical
field. No more patients should wander in the
dark and find out the diagnosis of Agenesis of
the Corpus Callosum accidentally when they pick
up a medical report and read it for themselves.

No more patients should be in the hospital
and be told not to worry because Agenesis of
the Corpus Callosum won't affect you when it
has already affected them in a variety of ways
through learning disabilities, midline defects,
hearing impairment and various other symptoms.

Over the years I have written with some parents
who also were NOT given the diagnosis of
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum for their
child and they also only found out through
reading it in a medical report they got
themselves.

I have also written with some parents who were
given the diagnosis of Agenesis of the Corpus
Callosum for their child but were told by the
doctor not to worry about it and were sent home
with no other explanation or testing for other
possible conditions or problems.

I cannot easily let go of the fact that so many
patients and parents of little ones are NOT told
the diagnosis of Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
or a corpus callosum disorder when it is right
there in a medical report. I believe it is a
doctor's duty to reveal the findings of any
medical test to their patient.

I realize that there are many wonderful doctors
who treat their patients with respect and inform
them of both their diagnosis and findings on an
MRI and CT scan as well as help educate their
patients of the diagnosis and make sure that their
patient receives additional care from any
appropriate specialists that the patient may
need to see. I am very thankful for doctors
like this. My own child with ACC has wonderful
doctors.

But there are also doctors who, for whatever
reason, are fully aware that their patient is
missing the corpus callosum or partially missing
the corpus callosum and they are failing to inform
them. They are also failing to research and
understand what Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum is
and then inform their patients. This is NOT right
and should not be happening!

I wonder if the doctor would make the same choice
if Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum was written
in their patient's medical report and not explore
it more thoroughly or give the patient the diagnosis
if the patient were their own child, their own sister,
brother, father, mother, spouse...hmmmm?

Diagnosing Disorders of the Corpus Callosum

A Fairy Tale

there was a mom and she stayed at home to
take care of her little boy who she loved
very much.

Each day when other kids who lived near them
went off to school, the mom of the little boy
watched those other children and wished that
her own boy could go to school with all the
other kids.

The little boy was big enough to go to school
but the school didn't allow kids who were
different like him.

The school did not allow kids who did not walk
or talk or kids who had a lot of trouble learning.



So the mom would sigh and watch the other kids
go off to school each day knowing that her child
could learn if only he were given the opportunity.

The little boy and his mom had fun together at home.
But always in the mom's heart was a desire to help
her child learn to do things that other kids could
do.

Not only could this beautiful little boy not go to
school but he also could not get any help from
therapists to build his muscles and make them
stronger so he could learn to walk. He and his mom
were left on their own to just do their best together.

Well, one day the mom woke up and she had an idea.

She was going to help her child. So she traveled
and took some classes to learn how to do therapy
exercises. It cost her a great deal of money but
she could no longer just sit there and accept that
nobody was willing to help them.

The mom worked very hard and she learned all kinds
of new exercises to help her little boy build his
muscles so he could get stronger and use his body
better.

The little boy's mom was so excited to be able to
use her newfound skills and help her child. Her
heart was happy.



The mom took a seemingly sour situation and she
turned it into something sweet and offered it to
her child.



But that mom did not stop there.

She remembered the other parents who also had
a child like her own that lived near her. She
wanted to reach out and help other kids and teach
their parents what she learned so they could also
help their own children.



So the mom sought out and found a little room in
a building that she could fix up and decorate and
then she opened the doors and welcomed the other
parents to bring their kids who had many challenges.



The little boy's mom made up a full pitcher of
sweet delight and then she offered it to other
children in her community who, like her own child,
were not welcome to go to school because they had
physical challenges and developmental delays. The
little boy's mom taught the parents what she
learned so they could help their own kids.

One mom who had one beautiful child dared to
dream a little dream come true and she made the
world of her own child and many other children in
his same situation a whole lot brighter.

THE END

This fairy tale happens to be a true story.

It is about a very real mom and her very real
boy. Her boy has Agenesis of the Corpus
Callosum. Their family lives in a place where
children with challenges are not offered the
luxuries of attending school or receiving
therapies.

I had the pleasure once upon a time ago of
corresponding with this mom and she touched my
heart forever. I will never forget her or the
story she shared with me.

Because of this one mom I will never take for
granted that my own child, who has Agenesis
of the Corpus Callosum, IS allowed to attend
school with other kids and can receive physical
therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy
and many other wonderful therapies and services
to help him.

Moral of the Story:

If you put your heart into a sour situation
you can turn it into something very sweet...

Sign Language

Introducing your child to sign language can be a
fun and very rewarding experience.

There are several methods of teaching sign language
to a child. Finding the right method depends upon
each child.

When my child was very little he was introduced
to some sign language by his Early Intervention
specialists. He eventually learned the sign for
"more" with A LOT of repetition and teaching. He
also learned how to sign "eat" through the use
of sign language.

I remember being very concerned when Matthew was
a small toddler/child that the introduction of sign
language might hinder Matthew's ability to develop
verbal language due to his diagnosis of Agenesis
of the Corpus Callosum. His learning style worked
best if he used one method at a time with A LOT
of repetition.

It was my fear and concern that because he is
missing his corpus callosum and because he takes
a very long time to learn something using one
method that he might be stuck in a pattern of only
understanding and learning language soley through
the means of sign language. It was a very real
concern for me back then when Matthew was much
younger.

I talked with other people and also other parents
about this concern of mine and found that other
parents who used sign language with their children
who have special needs reported that it did not
hinder or stop their child from learning verbal
language.

Benefits of Signing With Your Child &
Video Intro to Signing Time

I slowly began to realize that learning sign language
would not delay or stop Matthew from learning
verbal language and that in fact it could very well
help Matthew to develop verbal language.

Sign language did not come easily for Matthew
though. He did learn a few signs over the years
and learned a few more in school when he got older.

Because he wasn't taking well to sign language and
it was not his most effective method of
communication, we chose to begin exploring
augmentative communication devices because
Matthew is highly motivated to push a picture
button and hear a word being said. He learns
best through both visual and auditory together
so we chose an augmentative communication device
(with the help of his Speech-Language Pathologist)
and he thrived using this type of communication.
He still uses an augmentative communication
device today.

When I removed Matthew from public school in his
8th grade year and chose to homeschool him, he
began to show an interest in sign language again
after so many years had passed of not using more
than a few signs.

It surprised me and made me realize how important it
is to never close the door on a child who has ACC
when it comes to learning something new.



I was thrilled with Matthew's new interest in learning
sign language and so we began our adventure
learning sign language together through the use
of sign language DVDs.

For my child, Matthew, who has complete Agenesis
of the Corpus Callosum he responds best to learning
sign language through DVDs, through hand-over-hand
teaching and through my own modeling of sign
language while we both watch the sign language
DVDs together.

I borrowed two Baby Signing Time DVDs from the
Library to try with Matthew and he really liked
them. In fact, we both like Baby Signing Time
DVDs so much that we bought:



Baby Signing Time Volume 1 - It's Baby Signing Time

ASL signs taught in this DVD:
Eat - Drink - Cracker - Water - Cereal - Milk - Banana - Juice - Finished - Mom - Grandma - Dad - Grandpa - Diaper - Potty - More - Bird - Fish - Cat - Dog - Horse - Frog - Hurt - Where.

Video Clip of Diaper Dance song from
Baby Signing Time Volume 1:



and



Baby Signing Time Volume 2 - Here I Go

ASL signs taught in this DVD:
Shoes - Socks - Hat - Coat - Please - Thank You - Sorry - Car - Train - Bus - Bike - Airplane - Boat - Ball - Doll - Bear - Wash Hands - Soap - Water - Sleep - Bath - Sleep Clothes/ Pajamas - Brush Teeth - Books - Blanket.

Video Clip of Baby Signing Time Volume 2:



What do I like about Baby Signing Time and Signing
Time DVDs?

The DVDs are fun! They help my child, Matthew, who
has complete Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum, learn
sign language. They are full of music and songs.
The signs are taught through the use of
demonstration by Rachel, by showing babies and
kids demonstrating the signs, through the use of
reinforcement of both drawings and real pictures
of the sign that is being taught and there is
a lot of repetition.

I also like Signing Time videos because they help not
only Matthew learn sign language but they also help
me learn right along with him! It's great!

In fact, one of the words Matthew can sign is PLAY.
If he hears the word play or hears me spell it outloud
by saying: "Matthew: what is P-L-A-Y?" He does the
sign for "play" with a smile on his face.

We typically watch the Signing Time and Baby
Signing Time DVDs together and Matthew learns the
signs best when we watch the videos together and
practice the signs but he also enjoys watching them
by himself sometimes.



A few months ago when I walked in his room I saw
him watching Signing Time Volume 7-Leah's Farm at
a section where they were teaching the sign for
"turtle" so I asked Matthew...how do you say turtle?
(thinking he wouldn't know it because I haven't
really helped him with it) but he looked at me and
he made the sign for "turtle" which requires both
hands to be used together and I stood there
shocked and amazed!! Wow!

Thank you Signing Time for making such a wonderful
product that helps us both learn American Sign
Language and helps my child who is non-verbal have
another way to communicate in addition to his
augmentative communication device.

Rachel Coleman is the co-founder and creator of
Signing Time. She is also the mom of two children
who have special needs. Her first child, Leah,
was born deaf. Her second child, Lucy, was born
with cerebral palsy and spina bifida.
Read more about Rachel and her family.

There are also two additional Baby Signing Time DVDs:

Baby Signing Time Volume 3 - A New Day

Video Clip of Signing Time Volume 3 - A New Day:





Baby Signing Time-Volume 4 - Let's Be Friends

We also have some of the Signing Time DVDs, a few
of which include:


Signing Time-The Zoo Train-Volume 9

Video Clip of "Walking Through The Zoo" song
from Signing Time The Zoo Train Volume 9:




Signing Time-My First Signs-Volume 1


Signing Time-Leah's Farm-Volume 7

Matthew has learned approximately 23 signs and he
continues to learn new signs. :)

It's a great feeling when I see my child, Matthew,
using the signs he learns and know that he
understands what he is saying and is able to
express himself through the use of American Sign
Language (ASL).

Definitely check your local library and borrow
Signing Time or Baby Signing Time DVDs before you
buy to try them out with your child.

Be sure to check out Signing Time
for more information about their wonderful DVDs.

Catalog Request

Teaching Resources

This list of websites is made up of input
from parents who have a child with Agenesis
of the Corpus Callosum (ACC) and input from
adults who have ACC. They have been helpful
teaching methods for SOME kids who have ACC
or a corpus callosum disorder.

These websites are not a guaranteed method
for teaching kids with ACC.

Every child with Agenesis of the Corpus
Callosum is not alike in terms of how they
learn and what they might struggle with.
As convenient as it would be to pull a
'How to Teach a Child with ACC' book off
the shelf and have the exact magical miracle
teaching method at your fingertips...it just
doesn't exist yet. What does exist is good
old-fashioned roll up your sleeves, put on
your thinking caps, pay close attention to
that child and what motivates that child
and offer as many teaching tools and methods
as it takes until something works. Oh, and
one other very important ingredient is
essential to that equation...
P A T I E N C E.

Each person with ACC is different in terms
of how they are affected as a result of
having ACC and each child's method of
learning is unique.

This list of Websites is here for you to
explore as a possible teaching method for
your own child who has ACC or a student in
your class who has ACC.




TouchMath
TouchMath video demo
Many parents report using this program for
their child with ACC and consider it to be
helpful.

Making Math Real

Math U See

Math U See (Special Ed)

Math U See (Demo)

AplusMath




ACC Reading and Comprehension:
Personal stories about the reading challenges
that some kids and adults who have ACC struggle
with. Contains advice, potential resources and
teaching strategies.



Starfall.com




Bob Books


A little girl with partial ACC learning to read
Read a personal story about a 6 1/2 year old child who has
partial ACC who learned how to read using Bob Books.


Clicker 5
Reading and Writing Tool


Earobics

Fast ForWord

S.P.I.R.E

Orton-Gillingham.com
Orton-Gillingham method of reading instruction
Institute for Multi-Sensory Education

Lindamood-Bell
(used by teacher with ACC student in class)

Read, Write & Type

Living Books CD Rom Information
This link includes my personal experience with
using Living Books Interactive Animated Stories
on CD Rom with my son, Matthew, who has complete
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.


Colored Overlays & Colored Rulers



Some parents have mentioned that using a colored
overlay has helped their child who has Agenesis of
the Corpus Callosum be able to read words better
and also line up columns in math more easily.

Learn more about Colored Overlays

View Video

Colored Overlays by irlen

Talk to your child's school about colored overlays or
please search online for more information on where
to purchase colored overlays.

One parent of a child with ACC wrote:

"My son's school tried this with him (7yrs old/c-acc)
and he did much better with a blue background. It
was interesting for us to hear this because the index
cards that the kids get from school with their sight
words on them are blue and he was doing well at
recognizing the words. But then if he tried to read
a book with many of the sight words he knew on the
blue cards, it was like he had never seen them
before. He is getting better at reading on a white
background but it's nice to use the blue for initial
learning purposes."

*note: c-acc stands for complete agenesis
of the corpus callosum. It means the corpus callosum
is completely missing.





Handwriting Help
This link gives detailed information about two teaching
tools to help promote handwriting that have been
mentioned/recommended by parents as helpful for some
kids who have ACC.

Handwriting Without Tears

Twist'N Write Pencils by PenAgain.
Twist'N Write also makes pens. Pencils
and Pens can be purchased at local stores near you: Staples, Office Max, Office Depot and a few other stores or can also be purchased online.

AlphaSmart - Laptop Writing Tool for Students

An Adult who has ACC wrote:

"I was taught how to type instead of learning
cursive when i was in 3rd grade. Now i type
really good and its a lot easier for me to get
my thoughts out and on "paper" instead of having
to slow down my thoughts and to write them
all on paper."

Wikipedia Info for AlphaSmart

Clicker 5
Reading and Writing Tool






Laureate Learning (Special Needs Software)

Laureate Family 50% Discount

Laureate Free CD Demo

Laureate Learning Information:
This link includes my personal experience with
using Laureate Learning with my son, Matthew, who
has complete Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.





Starfall.com

Starfall.com Information
This is my personal experience with using
Starfall.com with my son, Matthew, who has complete
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.

Living Books CD Rom Information
This link includes my personal experience with
using Living Books Interactive Animated Stories
on CD Rom with my son, Matthew, who has complete
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.





AIT-Auditory Integration Training Services

Beckman Oral Motor




Movement Based Learning
Cecilia Koester's current website

I Am The Child
Cecilia Freeman (Koester) 1st website

Cecilia Freeman Koester is a certified Brain Gym
instructor and is known for her work with children
who have special needs. Read more About Cecilia Freeman Koester, M.Ed.

Brain Gym Books by Cecilia Freeman Koester:

"I am the Child: Using Brain Gym with Children Who
Have Special Needs"

and

"Movement Based Learning For Children of All Abilities"

Read an excerpt of Movement Based Learning for Children of All Abilities here.

Cecilia's 2010 Brain Gym Class Schedule

Brain Gym website

Brain Gym Find a Course: (US and other Countries)

Brain Gym Find an Instructor: (US and other Countries)






Slant Boards:
My son, Matthew, used a slant board in school. He
did not do well with using a pencil or markers or
focusing if the paper was flat on the desk. It
helped him to be able to have his paper slanted up
in front of him. A slant board was written directly
into his IEP.



Learning Colors
A compilation of input, tips, advice and teaching strategies
for Learning Colors from several parents who have a child
with ACC. Click on the link above and you can print a copy
for yourself or your child's teacher.



Eye Can Learn
eye exercises




Marvelous Music - A Musical Pathway To Learning For
Kids Who Have Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
This Article was written (with input from many parents
who have a child with ACC) about the effects of music
and learning on kids who have ACC.





Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
Handout presented at ACC Conference 2003

Polyxo.com
(Behavior & Social)





Teaching Social Skills by Andy Paulson, Ph.D.
Handout presented at ACC Conference 2004

Social Skills for Younger Children with Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum by Donna R. Doherty, M.S., R.N.
Handout presented at ACC Conference 2003

Adolesence and Social Issues in ACC by Lynn K. Paul, Ph.D. and Janiece Turnbull, Ph.D.
Handout presented at ACC Conference 2003

ACC-Social Skills & Challenges
If you would like a copy of this document sent
by e-mail please E-Mail Me.

An Introduction to Social Stories-polyxo.com

Social Stories-polyxo.com




It is my hope that each child with ACC or a
corpus callosum disorder will have a very
positive educational experience and find the
methods that best help them to be successful
in their learning adventures and have fun.

If you have found a particular teaching method
to be helpful for your child who has ACC or for
a student in your class with ACC please click on
"comments" and tell us what it is.

If you have used any of these programs mentioned
with your child or student who has ACC and have
additional input please share your comments.
Your comments are so very valuable to others.

Please E-Mail me with a teaching resource/
website you have found to be a positive and helpful
learning tool for your child who has Agenesis of
the Corpus Callosum and I will include it on this
page.

*note: I do not personally guarantee or endorse any of the websites
listed here. I have, however, made a personal note under some
websites about how they helped my own child, Matthew, who has
complete Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.