A mild form of dysgraphia?

[Merry]

My nine year old ds still struggles with WWE Level 1. Even though we are now on week 20, he still forgets to capitalize and punctuate the copywork. And if he has to hurry, he makes a lot of mistakes and gives up. Also, if he attempts to write a sentence, he has trouble spacing the words. We do a lot of the schoolwork orally because of this. I read the wonderful blog on SWB's webpage and I will implement the suggestions for improving coordination but what I'm wondering about is if we should continue with what we are doing especially in the WWE? Or find another program that would be more on his mental level? He does fine with the comprehension questions. By the way, when he was six, he was evaluated by a doctor and a team of therapists when we put in a request for speech therapy due to his hearing loss. They found that he has a poor pincer grip. He is a good reader and speller though so I'm sure he's not dyslexic.

[Ruth in Canada]

I think dsygraphia can have a variety of symptoms. In ds's case, he's good speller and reader, and his handwriting is very clear--but also very slow. A year of occupational therapy, and teaching him to write in cursive rather than print, helped, but not enough to bring his handwriting speed up dramatically.

We also (still) do a lot of school work orally, but I want dd to do at least some writing every day. Not enough to get frustrating, but enough to get some writing practice in.

In our case, teaching our kids to type has been a huge help. We started fairly early because we could tell handwriting was going to be an issue. Now in their teens, they type easily--making written schoolwork much easier.

[ElizabethB]

My daughter is very strong in language related subjects but still writes run on sentences and forgets capitals and periods!

No helpful tips, just letting you know it might not be dysgraphia, just the age and something about not noticing capitals and periods. Also, it took a while before she put spaces between words properly, and she still occasionally forgets.

Did you know they used to write without spaces? It made my head hurt at first to read until I got used to it, I've read some old books like that.

[Merry]

to be quite normal in every other way. I'll just have to keep at it, thanks.

[Laurie4b]

One little tip:

I can't remember where I learned this, but it is very effective with kids who forget beginning capitalization and ending punctuation. When they are done writing a dictated sentence, say, "Tip-tap." They are supposed to tap the end of the sentence and the beginning with their pencil tip to check for the capitalization and punctuation. I think one of the reasons it is effective is because you don't actually tell them what to look for--you remind them to look, but their own brain has to tell them what to look for. And the words "tip-tap" said lightly sound kinda fun. I've used it with my own kids and with kids I tutor and it seems to be helpful across a wide range of kids.

[OhElizabeth]

Emily, they can read and spell well above grade level and still be dyslexic. It's called Stealth Dyslexia. Google it and read. I had multiple, multiple people tell me to research dyslexia when they would listen to my boohooing about this problem and that. I told them she couldn't be because she reads well, spells above grade level, and doesn't reverse her letters. But after I READ about it, really read about it, I realized she is. So go read for yourself. And no I wouldn't just teach him to type. You need to start researching OT, VT, and get to the heart of the problem. He's not going to be able to type his way through the SAT's, college, and life. Typing is great, have my dd doing it, but it's NOT a substitute for working on the problem.

[siloam]

My nine year old ds still struggles with WWE Level 1. Even though we are now on week 20, he still forgets to capitalize and punctuate the copywork. And if he has to hurry, he makes a lot of mistakes and gives up. Also, if he attempts to write a sentence, he has trouble spacing the words. We do a lot of the schoolwork orally because of this. I read the wonderful blog on SWB's webpage and I will implement the suggestions for improving coordination but what I'm wondering about is if we should continue with what we are doing especially in the WWE? Or find another program that would be more on his mental level? He does fine with the comprehension questions. By the way, when he was six, he was evaluated by a doctor and a team of therapists when we put in a request for speech therapy due to his hearing loss. They found that he has a poor pincer grip. He is a good reader and speller though so I'm sure he's not dyslexic.

Emily,

With my kids I will don't sweat that stuff. When the finish the sentence I just tell they, "You have 3 things to correct, let's see if you can spot them first." Now they are learning editing skills. If they can't find one I just give them the answer before they start to get frustrated. That might mean you just give him the answers for a month or two till his attitude improves. I strive to keep it low key, low pressure and yet make the most of it.

BTW my 9yo dd has been doing daily dictation sentences since 1st grade, so about 3 years straight, and still forgets proper capitalization and to put in periods. But she can always spot them when I tell her she has two things to correct. I would prefer she got it the first time, but the second best thing is being able to see it and self correct. I am hoping the two will come together down the road.

Heather