Testimonials
Testimonial 1
"You go girls! You two have addressed an area in the field of Special Education that has not yet been appropriately addressed in the United States. The sky is the limit for what you are offering to help kids with Dysgraphia."
Pete Wright
Adjunct Professor of Law
William & Mary Law School
Special Education Attorney & Advocate
Wright's Law - www.wrightslaw.com
Testimonial 2
"I was very impressed with the range of resources and strategies for handwriting problems (in Sue & Merri's Resource Guide, "Handwriting Problem Solutions"). I know that the solutions will be very applicable to children and adolescents with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. I recommend that teachers and parents of such children consider how these resources and strategies could significantly improve not only handwriting/written output abilities - but also the academic performance and self-confidence of children with an ASD."
Dr. Tony Attwood, Ph.D
Clinical Psychologist & Adjunct Asssociate Professor
Griffith University - Queensland, Australia
Founder and Director of The Asperger's Syndrome Clinic
Petrie, Australia
Author - "The Complete Guide to Asperger's Syndrome"
www.tonyattwood.com.au
Testimonial 3
"Sue Ramin-Hutchison and Merri Domer of Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC are at the top of their game! A neuropsychological report had confirmed our 7th grade son’s significant fine motor deficiencies previously, but he was simply not getting the appropriate accommodations. In 8th grade, we purchased Sue and Merri’s resource guide, which details a myriad of assistive technology solutions and recommendations to help kids like my son complete school work without paper and pencil. The resource guide gives so many great ideas, and Sue and Merri are always staying current on what is happening and posting new information on their website under “Guide Updates.” Another year had passed, and we were not making progress with encouraging our son’s school to try new assistive technology ideas. In addition, we were “running out of time,” our son was going to be entering high school, and did not want to engage in the long “trial and error” process of trying many different devices and software programs in the Handwriting Problem Solutions resource guide. We, therefore, decided not to wait any longer and instead to hire Handwriting Problems Solutions, LLC directly to get their expertise as to the best starting place. That was the best decision that we made! The Consultation Report and services that Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC provided to us and our son were top-notch. After many years of struggling, our son finally has the resources needed to succeed in school. Their report was thorough; they are easy to work with; and they helped us out work out implementation details, services, and accommodations with our son’s school district. There were issues that came up along the way with implementation, and Sue and Merri continued to be proactive and problem solve to try to come up with creative solutions to meet our son’s needs, as well as satisfy concerns of the school. They are practical and professional, but enthusiastic and passionate about what they do. Sue and Merri are very responsive and generous with their time. We only wish that we had found them sooner. Don’t wait. Call them today. You won’t be sorry. They have our highest recommendation!"
Lisa P.
Attorney at Law
Graduate of The William and Mary Law Institute of Special Education Advocacy, co-sponsored by the PELE Special Education Advocacy Law Clinic and Wrightslaw
Birmingham, Michigan
March 3, 2017
Testimonial 4
"The Consultation Report that Sue and Merri wrote for my 5th grade son was amazing! It was incredibly detailed and laid out a complete plan regarding what assistive technology was most appropriate for my son to use for written work as well as the best ways to put it in place in the classroom for both my son and his teachers. Sue and Merri are incredibly knowledgeable, supportive and wonderful to work with. I highly recommend their resource guides and Consultation services for students struggling with serious handwriting issues, like my son. I have had many evaluations completed on my son over the years – and the money I spent on Sue and Merri’s resource guide and Consultation Report was, hands down, the best money I have spent!"
FT
San Diego
California
Testimonial 5
"Sue Ramin-Hutchison & Merri Domer, the authors of the resource guide "Handwriting Problem Solutions", have gathered and organized a wealth of information regarding both "Low & High-Tech" equipment and software for kids with written output disorders into one resource for parents and professionals - and much more! And, even better, they have personally used all of their recommendations with students, K-12, in their capacity as Special Educators for the past 10+ years. That means these two special education teachers have tested all of these recommendations and found them to be successful tools for children with all sorts of written output disorders. It's like a Consumer Reports for techniques, systems, and products for children with handwriting disabilities. It's truly a great resource if your child (student or patient) has any problems with written output."
Penny Williams
A Mom's View of ADHD
http://aMomsViewofADHD.com
Testimonial 6
"Thanks for the Consultation Report on (my patient)….wow – very impressive as always... this family is generally tough to impress... but I can see why they were so excited about the report... so thorough yet practical and doable!
I like how you make these (Consultation Reports) so individualized (there is no "cut and paste/pre-packaged/canned report" experience while reading) and how you seamlessly weave in cogent/pertinent info from other assessments.
I look forward to a wonderful, on-going collaboration with you two! (Mr. Wright said it best... "You go girls!!") This is valuable and important work and soooooooo underappreciated!"
Mark A. Sloane, DO, FACOP, FAA
Behavioral Pediatrician
Center for Behavioral Pediatrics
Portage, Michigan
Testimonial 7
Thanks again for the great Consultation Report and recommendations for my son with Asperger’s Syndrome! Also, it was great that you were able to come out and help the staff learn what they needed to do to help implement the equipment and software that you recommended. Assistive technology has made a world of difference for him. He's becoming more independent, he's doing the written schoolwork that his peers are doing, and there are no more meltdowns over homework and handwriting!!! I also want to mention that the school has said that there has been a noticeable reduction in my son’s frustration levels at school after implementing the technological suggestions in your Consultation Report. Again, I have nothing but positive things to say about your resource guide and Consultation services. I only wish we had found out about you sooner. It would have saved years of struggling for my son!
LZ
City Withheld Upon Request
Michigan
Testimonial 8
My 12 year old daughter is in seventh grade at a special school for gifted children. She has dysgraphia as well as a range of other medical and attentional problems. She has had a 504 since she was in 3rd grade. For many years, the accommodations that I was able to get for her on my own were sufficient, and her education was going well. However, she entered a new school this year and although the school was initially supportive of her need for accommodations (giving her a school issued laptop without a problem, for example), things quickly began to go downhill for her academically.
I had originally found Sue Ramin-Hutchison's and Merri Domer's website on my own a few years previously, but had not contacted them or ordered their excellent resource book at that time. Later, I got to know Sue a bit through an on-line group we both participate in, and came to admire her practical style and encyclopedic knowledge of issues relating to dysgraphia.
I then ordered their resource book, which is incredibly detailed and practical. It lists lots of solutions to common problems with handwriting issues, ranging from low-tech ones like pencil grips to high-tech ones like specialized software. It has clear information on where to get these products, as well as on what you and the school will need to provide to make the intervention work. One of the nicest things about the book is that it makes suggestions for both younger kids and older kids like my daughter who need to do complex math and science, for example.
Sue and Merri offered me a lot of basic help even before I bought their resource book. I was particularly impressed because my daughter has a range of physical and medical problems as well as dysgraphia, and they seemed to understand how these problems interacted. Sue quickly deduced from my various posts online that my daughter might have a broader problem than dysgraphia (i.e. dyspraxia) and that some problems that had seemed to have to do with inattention might actually be a consequence of her dyspraxia. This was a very helpful observation, and suggested a different set of accommodations and interventions for my daughter.
After buying (and using!) their resource book, I ultimately hired Sue and Merri to do an individual consultation and write a report for my daughter's school. They were very careful in collecting information for this report. They had me send them many different samples of her writing, as well as copies of all the previous testing that had been done on her. They also had me fill out a detailed form describing my concerns about the educational impact of her dysgraphia. This was all followed up with a very lengthy telephone conference after they had reviewed the pile of materials I sent them. They have spent literally hours on the phone with me, reviewing her writing samples, teasing out the details of what does and doesn't work for her, and writing a report that highlighted exactly what accommodations and supports are necessary. The report that they developed was very detailed, knowledgeable, and practical. At least as importantly, it is couched from the perspective of educators which I think makes it useful to the school as well as to me.
I have found Sue and Merri incredibly generous with their time and knowledge as we continue to struggle to get the school to give my daughter what she needs. They remain available to me whenever I need them as I plow through the process of trying to get my daughter's needs met at her school. They are warm, supportive, and very knowledgeable and have made so many useful suggestions about what would help her. I've really come to rely on them as a source of concrete information about the options that are available to us.
Ultimately, Sue and Merri also recommended that we move her from a 504 to an IEP in order to benefit from the better legal protections offered. They helped to allay my anxiety about this change, and have suggested a number of supports to request in her IEP to address her medical problems (unrelated to her dysgraphia) and help her to succeed academically in her very accelerated school environment. Even my daughter, who has never spoken to them directly, experiences them as friends and allies!
I am so glad that I found them. They have really been a huge help.
BEK
City withheld on request
New York
Testimonial 9
I just wanted to let you know how much Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC has helped my son, Sam. He was having trouble in school completing his written schoolwork with paper and pencil which they could not pinpoint. After searching the internet, I found their website — and that was the first step in helping Sam become an independent fourth grader by finally finding the professionals with the knowledge I was seeking regarding the appropriate tools, accommodations and modifications to help him learn how to complete written assignments independently.
Sue and Merri are extremely knowledgeable regarding all aspects of writing interventions. They always reply promptly to any questions and always have the correct answers. I have found the resource guide — “Handwriting Solutions — Equipment, Teaching Strategies and Educational Resource Recommendations for Kids with Writing Disabilities” — an invaluable tool which makes purchasing and implementing products for “handwriting solutions” effortless, as well as providing a wealth of information for other resources — all in one reference. Their email Update Newsletters are also very helpful in providing all the latest information they are using with their students in their Michigan program, which always keeps their resource guide current and up-to-date. I chose the option of doing an individual consultation with Sue and Merri. They did an extensive review of Sam's writing samples, school records and reports, as well as consulted with Sam's teacher and other school personnel in preparation for writing their Consultation Report. This report made specific recommendations regarding what should be done at Sam's school to help him. Sue and Merri also continue to provide on-going support to both myself and the personnel at Sam's school regarding the implementation of the recommendations in their report, as well as answering any other related questions that we may have. I know that I can contact them anytime by phone or email.
Last year at this time, Sam would not have been capable of even expressing one complete thought through writing with pencil and paper. With using the technological recommendations that Sue and Merri provided, Sam just recently created and wrote his own magazine independently! I don't think this would have been possible without the help and consultations with Sue and Merri from Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC. I can't thank them enough for helping Sam learn to complete written work at grade level!
Sincerely,
J. Flowers
Aurora, OH
Testimonial 10
We have a 10 year old son that has severe dysgraphia along with many other medical and physical issues. Our son has had a 504 Plan since before beginning Kindergarten which addresses his educational needs, except during his 4th grade year when a new principal revoked his 504 Plan. We then had to fight the school district to get our son's 504 Plan back before he began 5th grade.
At the end of his 5th grade year and during our son's 504 Plan transition meetings between the elementary school and the middle school it became clear to my husband and I that we needed more than just our advocate sitting next to us during these meetings. We needed professional expert documentation stating specific educational needs, accommodations and modifications our son required and which the school district and middle school could not deny him without their first providing their own professional expert documentation as to why they would no longer provide our son with his current accommodations and modifications.
We had our first of many 504 Plan meetings for our son on Thursday, May 31st, 2007. It was clear from that meeting that the school district was planning on revoking parts of our son's 504 Plan and that they were not going to make the necessary accommodations and modifications which our son needs to succeed academically in his gifted classes at the middle school. Our next 504 Plan meeting was set for Monday, June 4th, 2007.
This was the impetus for us contacting Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC. We had first learned about them on one of our on-line Yahoo groups and decided to contact them immediately. Our first call to Sue Ramin-Hutchison and Merri Domer was later that same day on Thursday, May 31st, 2007.
They were not only able and willing to talk with us at length that evening but they agreed that we needed the assistance and documentation that they were able to provide. They agreed to review our son's medical reports, school paperwork, class work examples and to provide us with their professional opinions via a written report prior to our 8:00 AM 504 Plan meeting on Monday, June 4th, 2007.
Sue and Merri worked tirelessly through that weekend on our son's case. We talked on the phone, we corresponded via email and they were ultimately able to fax us a copy of their report with written recommendations by Sunday night, June 3rd, 2007.
We were able to walk into our meeting at 8:00 AM on Monday, June 4th, 2007 with several copies of Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC Consultation Report, dated June 3rd, 2007, written and prepared by Sue Ramin-Hutchison, Certified Special Education Teacher Consultant for the Physically Impaired and Merri Domer, Special Needs Technology Consultant.
To say the 504 TEAM was not expecting us to have had the time nor resources to come prepared to the second meeting with barely three days notice, including a weekend, would be an understatement. The 504 TEAM listened to our review of the report and decided that they needed to have additional time to review the report before they would dismiss it without considering it first.
Over the next few months, we had no less than six 504 Plan meetings for our son. We can say, without any hesitation, that without the Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC Consultation Report, our son would not have most, if any, of his current 504 Plan accommodations and modifications which he needs to be successful academically at school.
Specifically, we do not believe our son would have the following 504 Plan accommodations and modifications:
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Continued use of a school district issued laptop
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Assistive technology software and/or programs such as graphic organizing software, easy-to-use scanning software, computerized student planner (designed by Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC) and math software to complete advanced math problems
The professionals at Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC, Sue Ramin-Hutchison and Merri Domer, are truly advocates for children and their families. Neither Sue nor Merri considered their relationship with our family over when the initial Consultation Report was completed. Rather, they continue to be available to us whenever we have additional questions or new concerns arise. They are always available via the phone, email, and on-line support. We have found their electronic newsletters and website very helpful, current, up-to-date and just as important - relevant to our son and our on-going advocacy for him and his educational needs.
What we found ironic about our seeking the professional services from Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC, is that we likely would have agreed to the minimal accommodations and modifications that the middle school offered our son if they would have just agreed at the May 31st, 2007 initial 504 Plan transition meeting to continue to provide our son with a school district issued laptop that he had at the elementary school.
We have had numerous opportunities to talk with other parents and have recommended many of those parents to Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC. We are more than happy with the promptness and professionalism and continued resources we have received from Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC. Lastly, we feel that the fees were very reasonable and that we received exceptional value for our money.
Thank you, Sue and Merri — and thank you, Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC!
DMS
City Withheld Upon Request
Illinois
Testimonial 11
Handwriting Problem Solutions has proved to be an invaluable resource to my son and family as we have navigated his learning disability and school issues over the last several years. Their quality of service has been top notch, spanning equipment and the technical aspects of writing, to assessing his needs, to software training, consulting on educational diagnosis, and finally, to coaching me on how to navigate the slippery slopes of the public education IEP process.
As a parent of a child with a learning disability, I have learned that many people do not understand how learning disabilities affect a child's ability to put his thoughts and ideas on paper. Writing, it seems, is the most complex of all mental processes. It requires that a child master a huge list of tasks of gathering thoughts, to organizing thoughts, creating sentences, paragraphs, essays, AND then physically putting all of this on paper in some way. No one was able to help us until we found Sue and Merri at Handwriting Problem Solutions, LLC. From California to Michigan, they understood what we were dealing with and, by asking a few knowledgeable questions, were able to dive right in where we were and address our needs.
Initially the Handwriting Problem Solutions resource guide gave us an excellent resource book to examine our options for everything from grippers to writing software and keyboarding programs, all in one place. Later, I called on Sue and Merri to help me with my son's final educational diagnosis and the school district's reponse to the IEP review. Most recently, they gave me an early Saturday morning tutorial on the ins and outs of a math software program to help with my son's dysgraphia issues and fractions! Awesome!
Sue and Merri have been prompt, professional and reliable. And most importantly, they have always been focused on, and concerned about, my son. I am sure they can help you meet your child's needs!
Sincerely,
LT
San Francisco, CA
Testimonial 12
Sue and Merri have been nothing less than incredible for us! They have been a tremendous resource for our 11 year-old son who is going into the 6th grade this fall. Our son has been diagnosed with dysgraphia and has struggled with handwriting and written expression his entire school career.
We first ordered Sue and Merri's resource book and then hired them to prepare an individualized report. The report was great! It clearly identified our son's needs and how to address them. The best part of working with Sue and Merri was that they were always there for us. They spent a lot of time talking with, and emailing, us about their report and how to address the concerns and objections the school district had about the recommendations Sue and Merri made. Even though the school district agreed with Aaron's needs, it did not recommend providing him with a laptop. Sue and Merri worked with us tirelessly as we worked to convince the school district to provide the laptop and software recommended by Sue and Merri. After 3 weeks of intense effort, the school district agreed. We could not have won this battle without Sue and Merri's emotional and professional support. They always took my calls and quickly responded to my emails. Their suggestions and recommendations were right on point. Even though they never met our son, they seemed to know his needs perfectly. We know that Sue and Merri will be there to help us as we enter the most important part of our assistive technology journey — the implementation and use of the laptop and software at school and at home so our son can get the most out of what Sue and Merri have put into place.
Thanks for all you have done for us, and for making us feel that we are not alone in our struggles for our child.
GBG
FDK
Torrance, CA
Testimonial 13
We contacted Sue and Merri and ordered their guide. Once we had the report from the doctor with the formal diagnosis of Dysgraphia, we sent Sue and Merri all of the documentation they could possibly need and possibly even more than they needed. I had a wonderful conversation with Sue one evening to discuss all of the information that we sent them. They very quickly put together a very thorough report that very accurately depicts my son and his needs. My husband, who owns his own business and writes reports all of the time, was very impressed with all of the information that they were able to give us and the knowledge they were able to impart to us regarding our son's issues. The guide and report we got from them are definitely well worth the expense and some of the best money we have spent. I can not recommend them enough for anyone needing help with their child. We have shared the report with the private school that my son will start re-attending in January and they are very impressed with the report and all of the information that it contains. The report was a big part of their decision to let him back in as they were initially concerned with the new diagnosis. They have not dealt with many students with Dysgraphia and most came with accommodations already in place for some time. Thankfully they read the report and have determined that it will easy for them to accommodate him and his needs.
Thank you again Sue and Merri. It has been a true pleasure to deal with you and your help has been invaluable. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise with all of us and helping us to do what is best for our kids.
Beth M.
Schenectady, NY
