laundrycrisis Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Our DS1 is a vision therapy "graduate" who can now read pretty much at grade level, but he is very behind in writing. He is not officially diagnosed as dysgraphic but he cannot do writing assignments at his grade level. For him it is not a handwriting problem anymore. It used to be, but he made progress with a therapeutic program and now his handwriting seems to be working...but not his thoughts. He appears to have organizational problems with retrieving and sequencing words for the purpose of writing them down (or typing them). I am already using WWE1 and some Remedia workbooks with him. He is still at the point of working on writing sentences and it is a real struggle. He has been stuck here for a while. Are there any other programs I am missing that I should be using for him ? I do not want to use something that goes into writing wonderful paragraphs. He is not there yet. I would be overcome with happiness if he could produce any "paragraph" of two complete sentences that were somehow related. Just the sentences are still extremely difficult. I bought Writing Skills A. I can use it for grammar, but I am disappointed that it quickly goes into having them write a bunch of sentences near the very beginning of the book. "Write sentences for each....." That's the speedbump. I need extra remedial help for the mental mechanics of creating a sentence...the entire thought process and all the "housekeeping" parts of it...like different categories of words, formulas for building different kinds of sentences, choosing words from the categories to fill in the formula...it is really that hard for him. Is there any place to look for this kind of thing besides Remedia ? I have a really cool collection of magnetic word tiles...I would love a program or workbook of sentence building exercises I could use them with. He meets with a tutor once a week who has been a tremendous help with his reading, but she also has trouble getting him to write anything. He can make the words on the paper, but thinking of them himself and organizing them into a sentence does not seem to work. I can see that WWE is going to be helpful but I am concerned that with the severity of his difficulties, it may not be intense or helpful enough. I don't want to lose any more time with him if there is something else I can be using. I am also afraid to ask if he might need another type of therapy ? He does not have auditory problems - his grasp of phonics seems excellent. Logically he seems to get the parts of speech. He just does not appear to have a mental word bank, or if he does, the retrieval system is not working. I do not know how to help him with that. Thank you.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wapiti Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Might he have some sort of language processing problem? Our language therapist recommended materials from Linguisystems - one of the posts below has a link. You could also get an evaluation (it never ends!) from a SLP. Can he say sentences orally? Other than that, has he had any grammar (it sounds like you're trying that, with the word categories?) - could you look at simple sentences, for example, and point out the subject and verb? just thinking out loud... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 He doesn't have any problems finding words to speak - just to write. He does okay with spelling words one at a time, if he didn't have to think of the word himself. He can easily identify the subject, verb and adjectives in a sentence that I give him. He can fill in a missing word in a sentence that is already built but is missing only one thing - a subject, object, verb, or adjective (adverbs are not really on his radar for some reason). I am hopeful that the dictation followed by copying what he dictated to me in WWE is going to help. I wondered about a SLP but it only seems to be retrieving words for the purpose of writing them that stumps him. I would love to find a workbook or book of exercises that helps me take him through sentence formulas, where he could work through choosing words verbally, for multiple blanks, one at a time, then see how it makes a sentence, or some cloze activities that have more parts missing. Or even one in which blanks are filled in with cut and paste pictures for nouns and verbs first, and then you go back and replace the picture with the word. Does that sound bizarre ? I think it would help him. I also have this strange hope that beginning some Spanish might help. When I have done work with him involving drawing pictures of sequences of events or describing things before writing...not just pictures for single words....he got so involved and invested in the pictures...and then had the idea that since he worked so hard on the pictures and they were so good, the words were not necessary, and he was too tired to work on the words anyway :glare:. Is it reasonable to hope that if I keep reading to him, having him read, working on grammar and sentence structure, WWE, and cloze work that eventually sentences will stop being overwhelming to him ? Whenever I try to make the leap to giving him some words and having him make them into a sentence, which is how the Remedia workbooks work, even if I have sorted the words by type, he locks up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacefully Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 THANK YOU for the recommendation to look at Linguisystems. I had not heard of them. I think they have some things I might order and try....like this: http://www.linguisystems.com/products/product/display?itemid=10224 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacefully Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Cross-posted. :001_smile: BTW, Bravewriter does have some interesting variations on copywork and dictation, a few of which sound like the type of exercise that you are looking for. And did you see KarenAnne's guests posts on dysgraphia on the WTM blog? Very helpful and encouraging! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 I borrowed a copy of Writing Strands from a friend last week. Level 2 is where most people start - taking simple sentences and building those into paragraphs. Most writing assignments semed to start with a concrete experience and from that experience the child was to write. After initial sentences were written then they were revised and revised to create better sentences. I am still on the fence myself, but thought I would mention it to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thank you all. I am ordering the Linguisystems book on CD. I already have the Writing Skills A book. We will have to do a lot of it verbally, with him dictating to me. I don't understand how Bravewriter courses work. Is it like video conferencing, and you have to commit to a certain time ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacefully Posted August 4, 2011 Share Posted August 4, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myboyluvsdinos Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Another thing you might look into is Landmark School's teacher guides, as seen here: http://www.landmarkoutreach.org/pub181.htm I own it, and it's pretty good. I started with IEW, but needed to back up to the sentence level first. Carolyn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rafiki Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted August 7, 2011 Author Share Posted August 7, 2011 I just ordered a sentence-building game and a book on sentence diagramming. I found diagramming helpful when I was a child, so perhaps it will help him too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A home for their hearts Posted September 5, 2011 Share Posted September 5, 2011 I just ordered a sentence-building game and a book on sentence diagramming. I found diagramming helpful when I was a child, so perhaps it will help him too. What sentence-building game did you order? My ds10 is a reluctant writer. He hasn't been tested for anything but the physically act of writing he hates. He is a more hand one kid so I think games may interest him. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted September 5, 2011 Author Share Posted September 5, 2011 What sentence-building game did you order? My ds10 is a reluctant writer. He hasn't been tested for anything but the physically act of writing he hates. He is a more hand one kid so I think games may interest him. Thanks! I got the Big Box of Sentence Building. We haven't used it yet. I have also been doing something fun - I take sentences from grammar worksheets, and I match the complete subjects to complete predicates from different sentences, so it makes something ridiculous. He thinks it is hilarious, and he can also clearly see how the sentences break into subject and predicate. I do one to get him going and then he will do a bunch of them himself and have a good laugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Does he know how to type? My daughter with dysgraphia cannot organize her thoughts and put pen to paper, but it all flows very well when she types. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 What about The Art of Styling Sentences? It gives 20 sentence patterns and offers advice as to when the best time to use each pattern is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 Does he know how to type? My daughter with dysgraphia cannot organize her thoughts and put pen to paper, but it all flows very well when she types. He can type for spelling (Click'n Spell) but is not yet able to type in sentences. Maybe I should have him try "free typing". Free writing does not work at all for him. He will just sit there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Misty Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) He can type for spelling (Click'n Spell) but is not yet able to type in sentences. Maybe I should have him try "free typing". Free writing does not work at all for him. He will just sit there. I would definitely make typing a priority subject for him ASAP. Typing is the only way most kids with dysgraphia can make it through writing assignments of any kind. We used Typing Instructor Platinum. It's cheap and fun and works great. Get him typing fluently and he will be able to get his thoughts down more fluently. It's just something about using pencil that is too slow and overwhelming for a dysgraphic person. Typing is fast and easy to correct if there are mistakes. My daughter has to do all her assignments with her laptop.. If it's an essay, she is allowed to compose her drafts on the computer, but then she has to copy her final draft by hand. A very slow process, but something she has practice. I plan to have accomodations in place for the SAT essay. There is no way she can do an essay in 20 minutes by hand! Edited September 6, 2011 by Misty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laundrycrisis Posted September 6, 2011 Author Share Posted September 6, 2011 I would definitely make typing a priority subject for him ASAP. Typing is the only way most kids with dysgraphia can make it through writing assignments of any kind. We used Typing Instructor Platinum. It's cheap and fun and works great. Get him typing fluently and he will be able to get his thoughts down more fluently. It's just something about using pencil that is too slow and overwhelming for a dysgraphic person. Typing is fast and easy to correct if there are mistakes. My daughter has to do all her assignments with her laptop.. If it's an essay, she is allowed to compose her drafts on the computer, but then she has to copy her final draft by hand. A very slow process, but something she has practice. I plan to have accomodations in place for the SAT essay. There is no way she can do an essay in 20 minutes by hand! He knows how to type.. just like he knows how to physically write. He has done Dance Mat and Type to Learn. He can do spelling words with typing. He has great difficulty thinking of words and putting words together. We are doing WWE1, just the narration. Straight copywork does not help him at all. It is just an art project for him. Dictating a narration sentence to me to write, and then seeing what he dictated in writing, and then copying it seems to be helpful. I may be able to incorporate typing his own dictated sentences in with his WWE work. I also want to do some "think of words that...." work with him. ie, think of words that describe a loud noise, things we see at the pumpkin farm, baseball words, bedtime words, etc. Maybe I could get him typing some lists like that. If he could learn to think of words himself, then type them, that would be huge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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