Handwriting help for teen?

[Wendi]

My 15yo son hates his handwriting. He is an Aspie, and tends to be a perfectionist. Writing was difficult for him to master, and he still hates writing, in part because he hates how his handwriting looks. (To me, it looks perfectly average and adequate.) He gets stressed out doing things like taking notes or making flashcards. :confused: He asked me if there are workbooks or other methods to work on handwriting for older students. Any suggestions?

 

Wendi

[JanetC]

My 15yo son hates his handwriting. He is an Aspie, and tends to be a perfectionist. Writing was difficult for him to master, and he still hates writing, in part because he hates how his handwriting looks. (To me, it looks perfectly average and adequate.) He gets stressed out doing things like taking notes or making flashcards. :confused: He asked me if there are workbooks or other methods to work on handwriting for older students. Any suggestions?

 

Wendi

 

 

We used "Fix it Write" -- it assumes that you have already learned how to form all the letters, and it focuses on exercises to build rhythm and exercises to form letters that are most important to legibility. (For example, making sure there is a hole in the middle of every lowercase "e" and a dot on top of every lowercase "i" so those letters don't look like each other.)

 

There are sub-chapters for both standard and italic cursive -- you do the exercises chapters first, then go to the section for the writing style you want to improve.

 

My perfectionist DD did not like some of the suggestions (to "fudge" certain things to make them easier, or to have a couple of ways to do certain things rather than just one "perfect" way), but overall it was worth our time. It's really about everyday handwriting, and not following a certain model perfectly.

 

--Janet

[Lori D.]

First, a quick aside: I'd suggest an electronic tool for note-taking (ex: i-pad, i-touch, laptop, etc. that uses note-taking app; voice-recognition; touch typing; or translates handwriting into type; etc.) so he can focus on the lecture rather than obsessing on what his handwriting looks like...

 

 

Now, re: improving handwriting with a teen... You might try working on strengthening the ability to "see" and to reproduce physical writing through daily 5 minutes of Callirobics, and also strengthen that left/right aspect of being able to reproduce letters in handwriting and cursive through 5 minutes of Dianne Craft's "writing 8s" exercises.

 

Some people have messy handwriting, or the act of handwriting is very hard for them, because they have a hard time translating what is in their minds onto paper -- sort of like how it can be difficult to do something when looking in a mirror and everything is reversed; it takes much greater concentration and effort, and the end result is not very good. And it is very exhausting!

 

The "writing 8s" help strengthen the left/right brain hemisphere connections, while the Callirobics helps to practice reproducing the basic steps or movements (curves, lines, loops, etc.) that are used to form letters in handwriting and cursive; by practicing those connections and the physical movements needed for handwriting and cursive, you make them more automatic, which in turn makes the act of writing more natural and less laborious. Think of it as a sort of "physical therapy" for "weak" handwriting ability.

 

 

Our younger DS has always had some mild LDs with handwriting, and frankly, he is just never going to be able to use cursive other than signing his name. His printing, however, is MUCH neater and more legible after using both the Callirobics and the "writing 8s" (we did about 5 or 6 letters of the alphabet per day, and then did the next 5 or 6 the next day, etc.) -- and it is now much easier and less laborious for him to write. BTW -- DS was 16yo when I had him start with Callirobics and the writing 8s exercise. He was not terribly interested in working on his handwriting and still got results. I would guess your DS who IS interested in improving would definitely see results!

 

BEST of luck in finding what works best for your DS! Warmest regards, Lori D.

Edited August 28, 2012 by Lori D.