Teaching & Agenesis Corpus Callosum

A teacher is a careful observer of each
student and understands that every child
has their own personality, motivations,
strengths, weaknesses and gifts.

Getting to know each student is an especially
important part of what a good teacher does
in an effort to provide the best possible
instruction for the child to help him learn
to his greatest potential.

When a child has Agenesis of the Corpus
Callosum it can be confusing how to
effectively teach and help the child learn
not only for the child's teacher but for the
child's parents as well.

There is no way to predict how ACC or a corpus
callosum disorder will affect a person diagnosed
because ACC has a very broad range of effects.

There is also no set guidelines for how to teach
a child who has Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum.

Each person can be uniquely affected as a result
of having ACC. What works for one student in terms
of learning and education may not work for another
student with ACC.

It is extremely helpful to have teacher/parents
communication flowing regarding the child with
ACC to gain insight into how their child learns,
their strengths, weaknesses, what motivates the
child, etc. Anything that a parent can put into
writing about their child with ACC with respect
to helping their child learn in the classroom is
very valuable information for that child's teacher(s).



Some things that are mentioned often when a child
has Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum are:

• A child may need A LOT of repetition to learn something.
  
  
• It can sometimes take a child much longer to
  grasp a skill and it seems like all the
  repetition is going nowhere with no progress
  but one day it just clicks and they get it.
  It all comes together for them. They often
  times just really need that repetition to
  make the connection.
  
  
• Sometimes children with ACC take things very
  literally. For example, "Wake up and smell the
  coffee" could be taken very literally by a
  person with ACC.
  
  
• A child with ACC may struggle with social
  skills. A child may have trouble with making
  eye contact, showing empathy, reading and
  comprehending facial gestures.
  
  
• Staying on task and focusing may be difficult
  for children with ACC.
  
  
• Moving a child with ACC, who is not focusing
  well, to the front of the classroom may prove
  to be very beneficial.
  
  
• A child who is having difficulty staying on task
  and focusing may also greatly benefit and
  require a one-on-one aide or a shared aide.
  Some parents have a child in school who has
  an aide in the classroom to help but the other
  kids are not aware that the aide is there for
  that child.
  
  
• Receiving too much information at once may
  be difficult for a child with ACC. They may do
  wonderful with one or possibly two part
  directions but if you give too many
  directions at once they might become
  overwhelmed and not be able to follow
  through with everything being asked of
  them.
  
  
• A child with ACC may require extra time to
  process information and need extra time to
  complete tests.
  
  
• Children with ACC may have trouble with
  abstract reasoning. Keeping information
  presented as concrete as possible can help.
  
  
• Children with ACC may learn more easily if
  what is being taught is broken down into
  smaller tasks.
  
  
• Children with ACC may struggle with reading
  comprehension. They may read very well but
  find it difficult to remember what they
  just read.
  
  
• Giving a child different ways to receive new
  information and new ways to express
  themselves may be exactly what the child
  needs in order to process the information
  better and express their knowledge. For
  example: a child may not do well with
  using a pencil and putting their thoughts
  into written words or they may not use a
  pencil or crayon well to draw a picture
  but if they are given other methods to
  use such as a computer (or whatever else
  is discovered) that child may be able to
  put together perfectly their own picture
  or thoughts or express themselves in a
  manner that is just right for them.
  Finding that way isn't always easy but
  it's always worth a try or two or ten.
  
  
• A child with ACC may have trouble staying
  organized and may struggle to remember
  homework assignments. A homework log
  with all assignments can be helpful.
  
  
• A child with ACC may find it very difficult
  to put their thoughts into words and struggle
  with handwriting and taking notes.
  Handwriting may be very slow for them.
  Allowing a child to use an Alphasmart in
  class or to type their assignments can be
  a tremendous help for a child who has ACC.
  
  
• Children with ACC may have difficulty with
  math. Being able to use a calculator can be
  very helpful for the child who has ACC.
  

More Agenesis Corpus Callosum and Education
information can be found at the links below:

Teaching Resources

ACC Social Skills & Challenges

ACC & Me Children's Book

Considerations For Educators Of Students With ACC:
This document is written by Mr. McCallum and
he is a teacher who taught a child with ACC in
his classroom. He offers detailed and valuable
information. The web page version of this
document is no longer available. If you would
like to receive a copy of “Considerations For
Educators Of Students With ACC” by Mr. McCallum
please E-Mail me. In your e-mail it is helpful
to know if you are a parent or a teacher
requesting the information.