Soon after we moved into our home in Colorado our kids experienced negative changes in their handwriting. Something I didn't connect with their environment.
One of our high school daughters lost confidence in her writing a year after the move. One of our sons began to print in all capital letters.
Our daughter with the seizure disorder could barely write at all. One of her 7th grade teachers commented to me, "I take a deep breath when I see it's your daughter's paper. I know it will be tough to read." Her home environment was far from our consideration.
At the height of our exposure another son turned to all capitals. Our 2nd grade son couldn't write at all. His hand was too numb. Our 4th grade daughter's handwriting took a dramatic turn. Her writing became miniscule. Here it is below soon after we left the home.
Dr. Doris Rapp, who is Board Certified in Allergy Pediatrics and Environmental Medicine, lists 5 considerations for diagnosing a food or environmental issue.Behavior, Appearance, Pulse, Breathing, Handwriting.
On handwriting she says, "WATCH: your handwriting. If your handwriting or drawing suddenly deteriorates, your nervous system and brain have been affected. Ask why."
Dr. Doris Rapp Signs of Environmental Illness
I never thought to ask why. Now, in hindsight, it's obvious. My hope for this post is described by this anonymous quote,
"Mentor: Someone whose hindsight can become your foresight.”
Wow Andrea! Now it all makes sense why my handwriting has gotten sloppier!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post about handwriting--we'd been discussing that very topic recently on an autism board I frequent. My mother commented--unsolicited, mind you--that my youngest daughter's handwriting has made HUGE leaps since the beginning of this year. We moved into our new home about 5 or six months ago. My son, recovered from autism, is also doing VERY well with his writing--most notably, he is able to do full pages of copywork without dissolving in tears.
ReplyDeleteI have been discussing mold on this board for about two years now, and what breaks my heart is that many moms know they have a mold problem, but there is no way that they are able, financially, to get out of their situation. Many have husbands who are not on board with it, and for many it's a major financial hardship just to buy an aircleaner. I almost don't want to talk about it, as I am aware of what it means, in reality, to find out that mold is the core problem with your kids' health.
I would love one day to hear some actual stories from people who had remediations done. I hear numbers like $100,000 all the time, but I know there are many who spent $5,000 to $10,000, or even less, and fixed their homes. I think most of the moms I communicate with are afraid to even find out whether they have mold, as it would mean their homes would be unsellable without remediation. And, in this economy, that is not a small issue.
Anyway, thanks for the post! It was timely and we are all reading it over here on our board.
I'm amazed at the amount of tells there are for mold poison. It seem very hard to even recognize it.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I've read anything about connection between mold and handwriting. However, it's not the first time I've had hunches about the connection. My handwriting and my son's writing were affected by living in the moldy place. Mine looked more sloppy, and lately it has been finally looking better. For a while, I'd be writing, and for example, I felt like the muscles in my fingers weren't as strong to be able to hold a pen and write with it...and like those fine motor skills were more sloppy/lazy/lacking. Also, I'd be writing something, and suddenly my hand, fingers, or arm would sort of "jerk" on its own and make the pen mark jerk too. Hard to explain, but maybe you know what I'm talking about.
ReplyDeleteAnders is 7, and his handwriting has not been great, plus he has been writing in all capitals. Since we moved out of the moldy place, so much of my efforts have been geared toward trying to regain our health, and dealing with all the other fallout that comes from toxic mold recovery. In other words, there's hasn't been as much time as I would have liked to focus on education (we homeschool), but more and more I'm realizing that it's just as well--Anders needed to get to a certain point in his healing, such that his brain and body could learn better. And he is to that point, plus our health has improved enough, and the chaos has settled down enough, that we can focus more on catching up with learning.
Hi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteI'm so very glad you posted the link to Dr. Doris Rapp's website! THANK YOU.
I have used the info in her books and videos many times to help explain MCS triggers in the home and in schools. She is extremely knowledgeable and has been saying these same things since the mid 80s (if you can believe it). Her books and videos are invaluable.
We didn't have the internet all those years ago to get the word out and be connected with others. It was a lonely road a lot of the time. Andrea, thank you for the wonderful job you are doing in teaching and sharing your family's lives. God bless all you young moms who do everything you can to grow healthy, loving children; you are such an encouragement to me. Emma