What kind of writing do you do with your SN child?

[Night Elf]

I've asked this before but I'm feeling stuck again. My son is 11 years old and has Asperger's Syndrome. He has a natural ability for LA, meaning he "gets" most LA without alot of studying. He taught himself to read. He's never had a problem with spelling, grammar or sentence structure. He can write a paragraph because he knows how to put it together mechanically, i.e. topic sentence, supporting details, concluding sentence.

The problems? He hates writing because he doesn't know what to write. Traditional writing programs cover personal narratives, persuasive essays, etc. Unless he's given a specific topic to write about and questions to help him focus on what to include in the writing, he feels lost. We've also tried imitative writing methods. He really doesn't like those because they ask him to summarize and rewrite in his own words. He complains of it being a total waste of time because it's already written.

I can ask him to write about something we've studied during the day. For example, after we read a chapter in Hakim's History of US, he'll write a paragraph pulling out some important points he wants to remember. I don't see this as progressing though. When I tell him he needs to write more, he doesn't know what to do. If he writes too much, he's rewriting what's already written and gets upset.

I don't know what to do with him. He's also bothered by the physical act of writing. He has a computer and a typewriter which he definitely prefers to handwriting but he still freezes up with any type of writing assignments.

Suggestions?

[chiguirre]

Here's my 2 cents, but my oldest hser is only in 1st grade. Your ds sounds a lot like me. I have terrible writer's block writing about personal experiences. I prefer to write about something else, especially something objective. Maybe you could try writing reviews (books reviews, product reviews, movie reviews) to get him producing 5 paragraph essays. This might seem more relevant to him than just summarizing, but it doesn't require emoting. Another possibility is technical writing, try to explain how to program the tivo or the answering machine in clear, concise prose. That's a challenge!

I hope these ideas help.

[Claire]

I think I'd try graphic organizer software with him. Inspiration (http://www.inspiration.com/) is supposed to be very, very good. I never got it because I was afraid of the learning curve associated with it, but you can start with Kidspiration and work your way up. This type of software offers a variety of ways to "brainstorm" ideas on a topic -- bubble maps, mind maps, etc. The software then turns the brainstorming map into an outline for you.

[Night Elf]

Thanks ladies. We have Kidspiration which he loves, but it doesn't help him know what to write. I like the idea of reports. I did work on the personal narrative with him today. I just asked him lots of questions and then jotted notes for him as we talked. We'll just take it in baby steps. I'm going to go to a local homeschool store and talk with the owner to see if she has any suggestions as well.

[Laurie4b]

Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) is all about taking the "I don't know what to write about" out of writing and focusing on structure and style. It is step-by-step. That part may appeal to your son as well. Personally, I don't like the style part, but have been able to adjust it.

[Night Elf]

I went to the local homeschool store today and talked with the owner. She has always been so helpful. After explaining what my son is like, she suggested doing Spectum Writing Grade 4, then moving into Grade 5. I've taken the pages out of the book and put them into a binder so he can't see a grade level, also her suggestion. We talked about IEW and she felt it wouldn't be a good program for me because it doesn't provide the structure my son craves. He's doing remarkably well with K12 because of its structure. He also did fairly well with Calvert although he believes K12 is infinitely more interesting than Calvert. But still, the writing is just beyond him.

I have thought about IEW but it's just so confusing to look at that I worry about the cost and my ability to understand it or for my son to follow it. At least Spectrum is inexpensive. We'll give this a try for a little while. It might boost his confidence a little to work on short, easy assignments.

[Angel]

Will he take his special interest and write about it? My dd is 13 w/AS and when she can't figure out what to write about, or if she's stuck with what they are asking her to write about, I suggest one of her special interests. For a long time that would be just about her cat or a cat, you get the idea. If it's something she cannot relate to, I just modify it and give her suggestions.

She is currently working through Jump In Writing from Apologia. I spent days and weeks trying to figure out what writing curriculum might work for her. When I found this program, she said "this might be ok." That was huge. She likes that it is in short pieces, so it doesn't overwhelm her. She still gets stuck here and there, but she is making progress.

Angel