My son has
terrible handwriting. Not just bad printing, but poor cursive, poor numbers,
and difficulty with drawing. He is 12, in 7
th grade, left handed,
and until just this past year, printed like a 2
nd grader. While we assumed it was age and
left-handedness that resulted in his poor handwriting, he was finally at an age
where
some improvement should have occurred. Over the past 5 years, we
tried every program out there: Handwriting without Tears (we still had tears),
Pentime, PACES. Nothing helped.
And while his cursive is at least
legible, it is barely legible, and he hates to write in cursive. He says
writing a lot (more than one paragraph) hurts his hand and he would rather
print. He prefers mechanical pencils and says the wood ones feel funny, grainy,
when they write. Getting him to handwrite a paragraph is like pulling teeth;
however, put him on the computer and he could write pages, typing like the
wind. What he produces when typing is so well thought out that I can’t put
together that this same kid can barely put together a sentence when
handwriting. He consistently fails to use caps, periods, commas, and even his
spacing strange.
It all came to a head for us early
this year in 7th grade. We were doing a science project and he
needed to write a title for it at the top of the notebook paper. The title he
came up with was: “The Water Project.”
What he wrote on the top of his paper was: “th ewat
erp rojec t.” I
was horrified. It was time for something more. I hit the internet.
One quick search answered nearly
all of my questions. I typed into Google, “poor handwriting,” hoping for some
ideas that I had not yet tried. The first listing used the phrase “dysgraphia”
- what was that?
According to Wikipedia (2009),
dysgraphia is “a deficiency in the ability to write, regardless of the ability
to read, not due to intellectual impairment. People with dysgraphia usually can
write on some level, but often lack co-ordination, and may find other fine
motor tasks such as tying shoes difficult” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia).
Further research helped me better understand what this was and check to see if
my son fit the bill. The Learning Disabilities Association (LDA) (2009) has
this list on their website under “Signs and Symptoms”:
- May have illegible printing
and cursive writing (despite appropriate time and attention given the
task)
- Shows inconsistencies:
mixtures of print and cursive, upper and lower case, or irregular sizes,
shapes or slant of letters
- Has unfinished words or
letters, omitted words
- Inconsistent spacing between
words and letters
- Exhibits strange wrist, body
or paper position
- Has difficulty
pre-visualizing letter formation
- Copying or writing is slow or
labored
- Shows poor spatial planning
on paper
- Has cramped or unusual
grip/may complain of sore hand
- Has great difficulty thinking
and writing at the same time (taking notes, creative writing.) (http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/ld_basics/dysgraphia.asp).
I was fascinated. My son hit all
but one of these signs – even tying shoes! My husband was intrigued; he asked
if it could be hereditary, as he hits all of those markers as well. And I will
admit my handwriting has always been sub par. Wikipedia does indicate that
might be the case, but there are too few studies on dysgraphia to really draw a
solid conclusion.
Dysgraphia is often a neurological
problem (the brain can’t talk to the fingers) and is sometimes compared to
dyslexia. The National
Center for Learning
Disabilities (2009) calls it a “processing disorder,” so the difficulties may
change as one ages (http://www.ncld.org).
Typically, students with dysgraphia are bright, speak well, and are
excellent readers and good communicators. The fact that they cannot replicate
that in the written sense is almost what makes this problem that much more
puzzling. My son can critically analyze a text or poem aloud, but ask him to do
it on paper and it is a mess. How can a student who obviously thinks so well
not be able to write it down?
I am not one to leap at a label; in
fact, we have gone out of our way not to use this label with our son. But an
answer? Possible ideas on how to help? It was all right there. I felt as if a
huge boulder was lifted from my shoulder. Now we had some tools to help him.
Then came the big question – what
is the next step to help his writing? The LDA website also provided some
strategies to help the writer:
- Suggest use of word processor
- Avoid chastising student for
sloppy, careless work
- Use oral exams
- Allow use of tape recorder
for lectures
- Allow the use of a note taker
- Provide notes or outlines to
reduce the amount of writing required
- Reduce copying aspects of
work (pre-printed math problems)
- Allow use of wide rule paper
and graph paper
- Suggest use of pencil grips
and /or specially designed writing aids
- Provide alternatives to
written assignments (video-taped reports, audio-taped reports) (http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/ld_basics/dysgraphia.asp)
There are some good reasons for
these recommendations. For example, the use of the word processor allows the
student to complete work at his/her level. We can easily complete a three page
book report using Microsoft Word that would never happen (or only happen
painfully) if it had to be hand written. Also, the reduction on the reliance of
written work results in a reduction in stress overall, especially when it is
time to write.
We still require him to use a
penmanship workbook, but we only do it 2 days a week. The other days we use a
product called Create-a-Sketch by Insight Technical Education. It is a
simplified drafting workbook which allows our son to practice his writing
skills, but not with writing. He uses it to practice control, and he much
prefers it to his handwriting text. Again,
this helps lessen the stresses he has when approaching handwriting projects.
We have used graph paper for a
while with math – this is the first year without it. We buy specific mechanical
pencils for his written work. Earlier this year he needed to do a report on
“Around the World in 80 Days,” and he used Microsoft PowerPoint to do it. I
told him it had to include text, but he could play with the graphics element.
We showed it to our Education Specialist, and she was so impressed, she showed
it to her literature class.
This is not to say we use
“dysgraphia” as an excuse or a label – we used the recommendations to help us
solve a problem for my son. He still needs to write paragraphs for his
schoolwork – not all of his writing is on the computer; just more of it is. For
essays, he must handwrite outlines and one paragraph, but the rest he can
compose onto the computer. He still has his handwriting workbook. We’ve told
him that while his typing is great, he still needs to know how to handwrite,
and as he ages, he is starting to see the truth in that.
So have these recommendations worked?
Has handwriting less improved his handwriting more? Yes, and I am as surprised as everyone else.
I think the reason for the improvement is that when he has to do handwriting,
he can absolutely focus on it – not on what the sentences have to say or if his
paragraph makes sense. He copies the text and all his energy is focused on that
alone. Then, when he needs to write an essay or answer history questions, typing
allows him to focus on that; cognitively, it allows for a better flow of ideas.
Somehow, separating the two
processes allows him to integrate them in his mind on his own schedule, and the
result is better handwriting, and better writing with that handwriting. Just
today, he wrote half a page on Augustus Caesar, which contains varied sentences,
specific detail, and has good sequencing. His letters are no longer oddly
spaced, the letters are legible, and he doesn’t complain that his hand hurts. That,
I think, rates as a success in my book.
*Originally published in Secular homeschooling, Sept 2010.
