(valerie) wrote in message om...

The disorginization and the sloppy handwriting may or may not be part
of a bigger problem. Are they in general characterized as being
messy, or unorganized, forgetful, unattentive to details, or have
trouble with spatial relationships?

Now that I've really started thinking about the issue I did a quick
web search and see a lot of information on "visual-spatial" learning
which really seems to fit my older son in particular. Visual-spatial
learners tend to think in "pictures," making it difficult for them to
break things down into steps and sequences. They tend to have very
poor handwriting, be good at music, maps, and puzzles; they hate
drills and repetition, are poor spellers, don't pay attention to
detail, but have great memories. They are not good writers, but good
in more technical fields. All of these fit him so well, it's amazing.
He is an excellent musician and chess player, grasps mathematical
concepts but has problems with calculations, etc. So, it seems this
just may be his learning style and he'll make a great architect,
cartographer, or engineer (if he can learn how to get through the
other subjects!)

Chris