Handwriting Troubles, need some advice...

[Sue in TX]

My dd 7 yrs old is having some trouble with handwriting. She is terribly upset about having to focus on writing and handwriting skills. Her handwriting is mostly legible, she writes the number 6 backwards frequently, and she likes to use mainly capital letters. Overall, her handwriting is a bit messy but the letters are basically formed correctly. She used to write words and whole paragraphs backwards. She gets very frustrated at my attempts to teach her how to correct her writing. She would prefer to type on the computer or dictate. I know that is a problem, but how big of a problem?

We have an appointment with a pediatric neurologist in January for a variety of symptoms: tics (verbal & motor), some clumsiness, inattention, constant motion with hand & feet, difficulty falling asleep.

She is way above grade level in math and reading. She is an excellent "writer" if she dictates the passage to me. So, I am wondering if I should focus on the handwriting issue or just allow her to type her schoolwork?

Any advice is welcome. Thank You!

Sue

[Misty]

Hi Sue! You are right to have her evaluated. She sounds like my girls. My oldest daughter (age 11) has fine motor issues and has HORRIBLE handwriting. She has motor and vocal tics and was diagnosed at age 8 with Tourette's and OCD. The tics are almost completely gone at this point. She is also extremely academically advanced. When she was 6 and 7 she was advanced in math, but as she got older it became apparent that math was NOT her strong subject. She ended up falling behind in it. But she continues to woe us with her verbal skills. She was at adult level before the age of 10 with reading, spelling, and verbal expression. She is a gifted writer and spends her spare time working on current writing projects. So she is a lot like your daughter in many ways. The fine motor delay tends to go along with these neurological disorders in most children who have them. My daughter has Asperger's and the Tourette's, OCD, ADD, and everything else are all co-morbids of the Asperger's.

As for what to do about the handwriting, I make sure my daughter practices every day, but I also let her use the computer to type some assignments. Her handwriting is really bad and I've finally realized that she will probably never have decent handwriting. So my advice is to make sure she practices daily, but for longer assignments, I think it's okay to let her type them once she learns to type. I wouldn't let her type assignments though until she has learned to type properly. Otherwise she will end up with bad typing habits. So in that case, maybe a lot of oral answers would be a good alternative. We always stayed away from workbook curriculum for this very reason. I chose programs like FLL and we used a lot of living books (she's a voracious reader) to round it all out. But now I find myself in the habit of not giving enough assignments that require written work and my 7yo daughter does NOT have a fine motor delay, so I have to remind myself to give her a normal amount of written assignments.

BTW, clumsiness is one of the major signs of Asperger's and many kids with Asperger's have tics and fine motor issues. I would mention it during the evaluation so they can rule it out.

Hope this was helpful and good luck with your evaluation!

[kRenee]

My son is also verbally gifted and yet his writing is slow and difficult and he avoids it as much as he can. The official diagnosis is dsygraphia (there are 3 types). I think my son has motor dysgraphia which is the one that is helped when you develop fine motor skills. Occupational therapy has helped a little bit.

I would like my son to continue to improve his handwriting, but I don't think it will ever be useful for taking notes in class, for example. He is learning to type and he may need to get accomodations if he every goes to school. He will have technology assistance in college.

check out this website:

http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/read.dysgraphia.facts.htm