Help! I have a 17 year old son, with some learning disabilities who needs a writing..

[kimberannie]

program that will hold his interest and encourage him to write.

Any suggestions??

Thanks

Kim

[GreenKitty]

:lurk5:

bumping for ya. Interested as well.

[mchel210]

My son has dysgraphia and is doing amazing with IEW. We are taking our time and I write some of his work for him as he dictates to me. That helps a lot. We take turns. It has been a challenge with him getting him to realize he CAN write. We are only on week 5 now...but this week I have seen a HUGE change in his writing. He FINALLY seems to get it. He is using tons of words that he never used before and is able to catch mistakes as he reads aloud.

[Momto2Ns]

My ds with dysgraphia is really enjoying (well comparatively speaking) Wordsmith Apprentice. Ds is 11 not 18, so I don't know how relevant the topics would seem, but I think it would work. It bases off writing for a newspaper and includes a variety of writing including the comics. The writing pieces are very doable and for the longer assignment he does them on the computer. We are planning to go to Jump In next year. I don't know which level would work better for your son, but they are both more "fun" writing programs.

Debbie

[lori in tx]

Both my sons have dysgraphia and my oldest (13yo) has been using Jump In this year. He just finished his persuasive paper, it is posted on my blog. He did a real good job.. Jump In is worth a look and try. We love it

[homeschool_mom]

I second IEW. It's a great program. Another one worth checking into is Imitation in Writing by Logos School. http://www.logosschool.com/materials/shop/category.asp?catid=19

[Lori D.]

First, I suggest posting this on the high school board, as there are sure to be ladies with high schoolers of similar age who also struggle with writing.

Not sure what to recommend, not knowing exactly in what way or what areas your DS struggles with writing, but I'll take a stab at it with some ideas, after giving you our experiences. Our son has a great vocabulary and great ideas of what to write about -- IF he dictates it to me. He has some learning issues (stealth dyslexia), struggles with writing and spelling, and when he goes to write, it seems to get scrambled and reduced to simplistic words/sentence structure when he has to struggle and get it from his brain, down his arm and onto the paper. We used Jump In last year with him (he was 13/14yo) which was a great step for him. However, Jump In is written for grades 5-8 (ages 11-14), so it might seem juvenile to your 17yo.

Determine for yourself about Jump In by checking out the sample pages at: www.christianbook.com OR see a whole sample chapter at Apologia (the publisher) at: https://apologia.securesites.net/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=87


Some more ideas:
1. a local writing tutor
2. IEW -- on how to plan/organize a paragraph through the keyword ouline technique
3. Jensen's Format Writing -- dry as dirt, but a very logical structured approach to how to write


Or, perhaps just focus on what is needed for the writing:

- Is it basic research and logical paragraphs? Then get the keyword outline and paragraph structure nailed down.

- Is it essay writing for SAT/ACT testing? Then, again get the keyword outline and paragraph structure nailed down and then practice practice practice doing timed essays from past SAT essay question prompts.

- Is it something else -- an actual learning or physical issue? Then narrow down the *specific* problem area of writing (for our son it has been organization of the paper; the physical act of writing; and spelling -- not being able to spell makes him shut down all of his big ideas and write short 5 word sentences consisting of 3- and 4-letter words) -- and then attack the specific areas of weakness (or disability, as in our son's case), while teaching a very basic structure to organized writing.

In case it is of any help, below are some very helpful websites for learning that basic structure to writing a 5-paragraph paper; the website for the SAT essay prompts; and more. BEST of luck in finding what really helps! Warmly, Lori D.


Education World: online tutorial writing the Five Paragraph Essay:
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Atrium/1437/howto.html

Guide to Grammar and Writing: The Five Paragraph Essay:
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/GRAMMAR/five_par.htm

Chart Showing the Structure of the Five Paragraph Essay:
(This is a very handy chart to learn and then apply to any essay you write -- take 5 minutes to think out you intro, 3 main points and 3 supporting examples/details/specifics to support each of the 3 main points, and then a conclusion; then start writing, and you just refer back to where you are in the chart to know what you're going to say next)

chart: http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/essay/
essay written from the chart: http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/English/essay/table.html


SAT writing prompts:
- Online Math Learning = http://www.onlinemathlearning.com/sat-writing-prompts.html
- The College Board = http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/sat/after/essay_prompts.html