Today’s episode examines an article, “When Writing Breaks Down,” which acts as a guide for teachers on understanding struggles related to writing and communication. The author, Jaime Hoerricks, PhD, argues that difficulties in student writing, which often involve structural, mechanical, and integrative barriers, are frequently mislabeled as simple behavioural problems rather than symptoms of underlying issues. Dr. Hoerricks specifically highlights that many adolescents arrive in high school with unmet needs—such as those related to speech-language therapy (SLT) or occupational therapy (OT)—that were ignored in earlier grades. The system’s failure to identify these needs early leads to students being blamed and punished for struggles they cannot control, perpetuating a “quiet violence” within the educational pipeline. Ultimately, she aims to help educators properly distinguish these barriers so that students receive the appropriate classroom and therapeutic supports.

Here’s the link to the source article: https://open.substack.com/pub/autside/p/when-writing-breaks-down-a-teachers

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