Presentation of the Phaedrus Approach

The patient / student is offered an encounter with writing in the spatiality of a computer keyboard or tablet that facilitates the acquisition of writing.

Two therapists provide, if necessary, motor modeling and emotional support. Motor modeling consists of helping in achieving visual-motor coordination as well as sometimes initiating action, controlling impulsivity and perseverance.

To promote writing, we privilege their interests, such as taking those objects that they bring with them and the information that their caregivers give us. Their echolalias are also put into writing. These words thus, are attached to a meaning and adapted to the context.

Then we go from copying words to being able to recognize and write the name of figures and later to completing sentences, up to the level of possible written dialogue or open conversation, if possible.

The frequency with which we work is of at least one weekly session of 30 to 45 minutes. The higher the frequency, the better the results.

Simultaneously with the writing, the reading of the material produced in that session is proposed.

At the beginning of the work it is the therapist who reads, but some of the patients read what is written. We see that they begin to show an interest in the world that did not exist before. They begin to have a purpose of “understanding” and “making themselves understood,” “a meaning,” and after undertaking this journey, they can initiate , in the best of cases, the possibility of speaking.