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From: Florence Myers
Date: 25 Apr 2010
Time: 08:33:49 -0500
Remote Name: 118.142.23.189
Hello Jessica - This is an excellent question, one which I have asked as well. I have observed several patterns regarding the writing of PWC. There is not likely to be a description that fits all, so to speak, although some patterns may turn out to be more applicable to some than others (thus the need to study this fascinating area). These patterns help us to formulate potential research topic. First, why is the penmanship of many PWC so poor? I have had clients whose writing parallel the way they speak....words may start out reasonably legible but becomes entirely illegible toward the end, much like the "over coarticulation" of speech, as if the written word becomes "neutralized" into a wavy line (so that the written "phonemes" or letters are indistinct)! Is this behavior also because of a basic temperament to want to do things fast? Second, I have seen PWC whose writing (both the form and content) can improve when they edit themselves. Is this because the process of editing forces them to take the time to edit (appealing to the executive functions of the brain)? I have also seen PWC whose written specimen are much more coherent than their oral language. Is this because the act of writing takes more time (i.e.,speaking is a more immediate and readily accessible modality, encoding around 5 syllables per second for typical speakers)? Is this because the motoric loading on the nervous system to execute writing through the hand may be relatively "lighter", compared to the motoric loading required to encode so many intricate coarticulatory gestures associated with speaking? I have also seen PWC (as with Peter) who can improve the typing out of their message when they take the time on the keyboard. I believe Peter had built himself a template to put over the keyboard of the computer so that he'd have to be more deliberate in his typing, in order to reduce the number of typing (motoric) and language errors in his writing. When my husband spoke with Peter at the First World Conference on Cluttering in Bulgaria, Peter told him that he was able to visualize a car engine from several perspectives at once to diagnose and troubleshoot the engine problem. This type of (multi-tasking, multi-thinking) ability can take various forms. One of the clients on the SFA dvd said he is in his "comfort zone" only when he is doing several things at once, and fast! My overriding impression (again based only on clinical observations and what clients tell me,and not studied empirically) is that so many PWC have a propensity/drive to think and do several things/thoughts at once. This propensity, coupled with an "urge to surge" as well as poor monitoring skills, sometimes result in glitches in communication that can range from misarticulations to disorganization of language (including the organization of discourse). Thanks for raising this important question, Florence Myers