A little compassion, zeal for problem solving, and a sketch on a napkin can do wonders to bring real-world solutions to some people! Today's post is written by Amberlynn Gifford, a student in occupational therapy, which helped a student diagnosed with dysgraphia keep up with their peers by developing an iPad app for it.
* Steven is a 5th grader I met during my fieldwork occupational therapy in the spring. He is diagnosed with dysgraphia yet his mind is sharp, but his writing is so dirty you can not even read their own writing. His OT tried countless ways to help you improve your writing, but nothing seemed to work. Caring OT went so far as to analyze their worksheets on a computer but consumed too much time in class was quite complicated. Worse, Steven was very frustrated and falling behind in class because I could not complete the worksheets with their classmates
I thought there had to be a better way to help keep pace with Steven the other kids in his class. Then I had an idea, what if Steven could take a photo of your spreadsheet using an iPad and write your answers directly on the screen? I searched all over the app store, but there was nothing that did what I wanted. Well, there were some applications, but they were designed for business people and too complex for a child to use.
So I sketched out my idea on a napkin and shared with OT, Steven. She loved the idea. So I gathered a detailed model of the application and worked with a developer to build it. A few weeks and a few dollars later, I had a job application!
OT and teacher Steven are delighted. However, the real joy comes from seeing Steven use the application. Easy for him to take a picture of a spreadsheet and use the iPad keyboard to write the answers. Not far behind in class and is now safer than ever! While still working on his handwriting, which is now able to keep up with their peers.
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