| When thinking about dysgraphia, people usually don't | | | | always hear about having a computer or word |
| think of it as a learning disability. Writing is just difficult | | | | processor available for these kids, and that is good if |
| for my child. Or, my child has poor handwriting, but so | | | | the student knows how to type. Believe me, if they |
| do doctors. Yet, dysgraphia is real and the sooner that | | | | have a hard time writing, they almost always have a |
| we consider it a learning problem and deal with it as | | | | hard time typing. I can't begin to tell you how many IEP' |
| such, the sooner we can deal with it in a positive | | | | s have a word processor written into them and the |
| manner. | | | | word processor sits in the closet. Why? Because the |
| Dysgraphia by definition is a learning disability resulting | | | | kid doesn't know how to type, and it is more difficult to |
| from the difficulty in expressing thoughts in writing and | | | | learn to type than it is to learn to write. Another |
| graphing. It generally refers to extremely poor | | | | modification that can help at first is to assign a |
| handwriting. Since the handwriting is so poor and | | | | "secretary" to the student. This is a classmate who |
| difficult for the student to perform, is the learning | | | | can write for him on some assignments - just until his |
| disability a result of the handwriting, or are they not | | | | writing improves. Perhaps just for science of social |
| connected? I have found that working on the student's | | | | studies. We don't want to give these kids crutches. |
| handwriting first and then working on the mechanics of | | | | We want to give them tools. |
| writing is the most successful method of dealing with | | | | There are many more modifications, but let's move on |
| this disability. | | | | to actually dealing with dysgraphia and methods for life |
| Most students who have learning problems or learning | | | | success. The first thing I do is have them switch to |
| disabilities also have dysgraphia. These kids usually | | | | cursive. I don't care what grade the student is in. First |
| have sequencing and perceptual problems as well as | | | | graders can do cursive just fine. Seventh graders can |
| poor fine motor skills and poor eye/hand coordination. If | | | | learn cursive. There is a reason for this. Cursive flows. |
| you are in your 40's as I am you will recall that there | | | | Manuscript does not. These kids have a lot of things |
| were very few kids in our day with poor handwriting. It | | | | going on in their minds, and their hands cannot keep up |
| just wasn't allowed. The teachers literally beat it into us | | | | with their thoughts. Ask them about it. They will say it's |
| one way or another. When we loosened our | | | | true. So, the first step in this journey is to have them |
| standards on the kids as far as handwriting goes, it | | | | switch to cursive. When switching to cursive, I have |
| seemed to open a Pandora's Box. Students now have | | | | the student perform strokes on lined paper. Circles, |
| terrible handwriting, and nobody does anything about it. | | | | arches, loops, and curves all can be done. I will make a |
| Should we go back to "beating" this into the kids | | | | line of strokes and have the student copy it. This |
| again? No, I don't think so. But, we certainly need to | | | | works even better if done to slow music, such as |
| spend the time on these kids to make handwriting | | | | classical. Each cursive stroke needs to be taught and |
| easy and legible. We need to lessen one more | | | | practiced until all are learned and the student is |
| obstacle in their paths, as they are up against so much. | | | | comfortable with them. There are many cursive writing |
| Unfortunately, a teacher makes a judgment on every | | | | programs available. I also use the magic eights activity |
| paper that crosses her desk. I know, as I have been a | | | | using the cursive letters. In a very little amount of time |
| teacher for a long time. Don't we just love those | | | | these kids are learning to make cursive letters. |
| papers from those little girls where the cursive is | | | | Next, I move on to dictation. I am taking a step out of |
| flowing, the writing is legible, the words are spelled | | | | the process for them. I will give them paper with lines. I |
| correctly, and everything makes sense. It is easy to | | | | will start with basic sentences that I will read aloud |
| put an A grade on this paper. Throw in a paper from a | | | | orally as many times as necessary. How basic I start |
| little guy with learning problems and dysgraphia, and A's | | | | depends on the level of the student. A fifth grader will |
| are hard to give out. The content may even be better | | | | get a more difficult sentence than a first grader. I will |
| than the other girl's paper, but by the time the teacher | | | | call off several sentences and have the student write |
| is done trying to decipher what is being said on the | | | | the sentences using a color marker, pen, or pencil. |
| page, she is exhausted. Compare it to the other paper | | | | There are now erasable color pencils that work great, |
| and it is easy to see why one paper gets an A and | | | | but many times I just let them use a marker. Color |
| the other gets an F. Some papers may actually | | | | works well in keeping the right-brain dominant student |
| deserve a higher grade, but the teacher forms a | | | | focused. Many of these kids are right-brain dominant. |
| subjective opinion, especially on essays. The student | | | | Then, I will have them go over their sentences and |
| with dysgraphia is up against a lot. | | | | look for mistakes. I will help them fix any mistakes and |
| Following is a list of symptoms of dysgraphia: | | | | we discuss them. |
| · Exhibits strong verbal skills but poor writing skills | | | | This process may go on for months, depending on |
| · Punctuation errors that are random or | | | | how quickly the student progresses. When the student |
| non-existent | | | | is ready to move on I will then go to paragraphs. I |
| · Spelling errors | | | | usually will make up a paragraph and have the student |
| · Reversals | | | | write it after I read it aloud. I will read the paragraph as |
| · Generally illegible writing | | | | many times as necessary. The student writes the |
| · Inconsistencies such as mixtures of print and | | | | paragraph and corrects any errors as before. |
| cursive or upper and lower case letters | | | | Then, I will give the student a picture or a tangible item, |
| · Irregular sizes, shapes, and slants of letters | | | | such as a teddy bear. I will have the student write a |
| · Unfinished words or letters and omitted words in | | | | sentence about it, just describing what he sees. The |
| writing | | | | reason for this is simple. These kids will try to write and |
| · Inconsistent position on the page - spaces | | | | their minds are all over the place. They need training on |
| between words and letters - lines and margins | | | | writing about one thing at a time and writing about just |
| · Cramped or unusual pencil grip | | | | something they see. The student is instructed to |
| · Talking to self while writing | | | | describe the item. Sometimes these kids are at a |
| · Slow or labored copying or writing | | | | complete loss for words. But, we must start |
| So, what do you do to help a student with dysgraphia? | | | | somewhere. If he writes, "The key is gold.", then that is |
| There are many modifications that can help in a | | | | enough. They were his own words. He made his own |
| regular classroom, but we want the student to learn to | | | | sentence and that is a start. There is nothing more |
| function in our society, and our society won't say, | | | | frustrating than reading a piece of writing that has no |
| "Gosh, this kid has dysgraphia. I think I'll hire him and give | | | | focus and rambles all over the place. |
| him a lot of money and then make a lot of | | | | I will continue having the student write sentences about |
| modifications for him because of it." No, this isn't how it | | | | something that is tangible. I will continue to have the |
| will go, and we all know it. Most job application forms | | | | student correct his errors and we discuss them. |
| are still handwritten and many places will ask for a | | | | Slowly, I will add items and finally, I will have him write |
| hand written letter. Companies want to see if the | | | | sentences about things that cannot be seen but must |
| potential job candidate can write. It is an important skill, | | | | be remembered, such as a baseball game. By now |
| and if we make modifications for the student we | | | | the student should have the necessary skills to write |
| never correct the problem and we never teach him to | | | | about something from memory. |
| succeed in society. But, to start with modifications must | | | | Then, we finally move on to teaching writing. We can |
| happen so the child can initially succeed, but our goal | | | | use idea bubbles and outlining to plan paragraphs and |
| should always be to get the student able to function | | | | stories before we write. We can learn about topic |
| on his own. | | | | sentences and concluding sentences. But until we get |
| The simplest modifications involve giving more time and | | | | to this point, we must go step by step through the |
| shortening the assignment given. The student can tell a | | | | above mentioned processes. It is not an over night fix. |
| story in a tape recorder and then write the story at his | | | | But if done correctly, these students end up with |
| own leisure. Show the student how to draw a picture | | | | writing skills that will carry them through life. |
| for each thought and then write about each thought. I | | | | |