YOU WAIT AND SEE HOW MANY SIGNATURES WE GET ON THAT PETITION!!!!

Thanks,

Rowe Young

“All Screwed Up” An open letter to President Obama

Dear President Obama,

I have heard you speak of wanting to help children do better in
school as discussed in last night’s address. I have been working on a
project for over 25 years that you probably can relate to quite
“handily” sort of speaking. I am referring
to the fact that you are an “inverted lefty” when you write.

After testing several hundred individuals with characteristics relating
to this behavior while working at the University of CT, I have
concluded what is often occurring consequently, affecting learning.
First of all, as to what is occurring; neurologically, the area of the
parietal lob of the brain, controls what is known as proprioception.
Proprioception is the perceptual method by which we humans sense
everything around us both in distance and how we move in relationship
to what we physically control. i.e. a pencil or a base ball bat.
This work has led to an idea that this motor sense has a dimensional quality
that in some of us for genetic reasons feel that certain parts of our
bodies (in this case the dominant left hand) feel that the bottom of
a movement is the top and consequently mirrors the movement sensation,
neurologically.

When learning to write for example, an inverted counter clockwise
rotational hand movement when writing, actually is feeling as if it
is moving on the back side of the paper used. The big problem is that
the sounds that are heard and seen when learning reading and writing
skills do not match what is consequently being felt. Compensations
after a while occur, and the problems do subside. However, each time a
new symbolic concept is encountered, i.e. new math or new language
subject, the problem of overcoming the inverted movement sensation
happens again. Again, depending upon what other brain laterality
interaction occurs from one individual to another, the more
difficulties with this, can be encountered. The student who also has
aural learning issues can be drastically affected. For the most part,
the student who is only a motoric inverter with no other learning
issues will usually after awhile, succeed, often known as the “bright
under achiever”.

Because one of the ways we discovered existence of all this was
observing identified learning disabled students we tested turning
things like 2 liter bottles with the bottom hand, we laughingly felt
that the term ” all screwed up” was unknowingly thought up by the
people who unrecognizably carried the inverted movement behavior.
Being an inverted lefty and then your stating you “screwed up” made
me think that you might truly understand.

The important educational aspect of all of this, is that early
identification of the roots of such a hidden problem, so that
appropriate remedial methods are found and employed must become a
reality. I have long been searching for help to make the very simple
testing needed to identify those with the difficulty available.
Hopefully this will one day occur.

Sincerely,

Rowe Young MS
Retired UCONN Bio-Behavioral Science Dept. .

CPS was a mess in the early 90’s- he really did help turn it around, although they definitely have a ways to go.