Sorry Folks...

Sorry folks, especially teachers and parents. You can't force your ideals onto the visual-spatial learners. No matter how much you yell, spank, criticize or huff and puff, you'll never get them to be organized, to match up their outfits, to learn math facts, to write neatly and to NOT enjoy a healthy dose of sarcasm. They are who they are. You can crush them with your anger and frustration for not fitting in or you can build them up with encouragement, proper and healthy environment and here's the big one, by modeling better ways of doing things. They learn by seeing and doing.  You simply want your child to be successful, understandable but you have to find another way to get there.  Figure out a way to love them and teach them or you just might lose them. ~ Traci

Two Kinds of Learners

There are two types of learners and generally all people fall into one category or another but some seem to fit right in between the two. The audio-sequential learner tends fit in well in the classroom and easily learns by traditional, inside-the-box instruction. Then we have the visual-spatial learner who doesn't really seem to fit in anywhere and, while is extremely brilliant, not only learns out-of-the-box but seems to have completely skipped and jumped over the box! The audio-sequential learner tends to follow directions easily, does everything step-by-step and has a general self-awareness as to keeping themselves fairly clean and orderly (they can make fairly good to great grades in school). The visual-spacial learner never follows directions, can not learn by instruction and is often a mess and unorganized, personal hygiene isn't important but they can become OCD about things if it's drilled into their heads long enough. Certain clothing bothers them if it doesn't feel right. The audio-sequential is pretty good in traditional math classes and follows proper procedures. The visual-spacial learner is awesome at math as long as they are NOT required to follow any specific algorithm. They can see the answer without following any particular reason. They skip the steps all together yet come out with the correct answer.

My point is: If your child or a child you know is so smart but you don't understand why they lost their homework, their lunch box and why their room is a mess and they can't remember simple instructions then you are probably dealing with a visual spacial child. If given a proper environment, proper tools, proper encouragement and discipline and someone to set them up for success, that child will grow up and change the world. Let's not tag these children with ADD, ADHD, OCD, dyslexic, dysgraphic, or aspergers, let's set them up to be AMAZING!