Ipsey Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I'm cross-posting to the LD board. I believe my 9-year-old is dysgraphic. He reads very well and is very articulate. However, he can't write a line without smashing words together, misspelling at least 3 words, missing punctuation, capitals, etc. He can't ever left justify his work (lines start all over the place). Also, his sentences are first grade-level. Subject verb and perhaps a couple of modifiers. He can't seem to transition between ideas in sentences, and they lack coherence and cohesiveness. He has none of these problems when speaking. His handwriting is legible, but has taken him a very long time. We work and work on this. We need some ideas. He goes to public school and they write both on paper and with typing, and there's really no difference with the typing vs. the writing apart from the fact that if he types, it's more legible. Does anyone have anyone suggestions? Thanks kindly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirch Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I don't have any experience with dysgraphia, but it definitely sounds like something is going on. Bunping for you so this doesn't get lost! ETA: You might try posting this on the special needs board too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 there is another issue in play-- not dysgraphia (I have dysgraphia btw). He is missing connections with written words-- even typed ones. This is NOT dysgraphia-- but is most likely a type of learning disability (processing). Oral and written word processing happens in different parts of the brain... If he is in PS you should demand (sternly request) an evaluation by a professional. This evaluation will be critical to future accommodations and possible therapy sources. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrganicAnn Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I thought dysgraphia was difficulty physically writing, so a child will put so much pressure on a pencil it might tear a page. It sounds more a processing issue, but I would have some testing done so you'll know for sure. Schools will do free testing, but in our experience it wasn't very good. Private testing is expensive, but for us worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joker Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 My 10 yr old has many of the same issues (and others) and I now think it's vision related. Someone here recommended I look at the COVD website and find an optometrist. I'm so glad we did! We know a little now but go tomorrow to have a consult to get all the results and discuss vision therapy. I feel like we're finally on the right track. It couldn't hurt to start with a good eye exam with the right kind of optometrist just to rule out any vision related issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRG Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 My niece has dysgraphia and when she was in elementary school she wrote on blue lined paper as was suggested in her IEP. She's a jr in high school now and does fine. Between my sister, mom and myself we were able to keep her in stock for that school year(it was hard to find the paper!) and she eventually learned to write normally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lisa in Jax Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I'm cross-posting to the LD board. I believe my 9-year-old is dysgraphic. He reads very well and is very articulate. However, he can't write a line without smashing words together, misspelling at least 3 words, missing punctuation, capitals, etc. He can't ever left justify his work (lines start all over the place). Also, his sentences are first grade-level. Subject verb and perhaps a couple of modifiers. He can't seem to transition between ideas in sentences, and they lack coherence and cohesiveness. He has none of these problems when speaking. His handwriting is legible, but has taken him a very long time. We work and work on this. We need some ideas. He goes to public school and they write both on paper and with typing, and there's really no difference with the typing vs. the writing apart from the fact that if he types, it's more legible. Does anyone have anyone suggestions? Thanks kindly! This sounds a lot like Nonverbal Learning Disability to me. http://www.nldontheweb.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NittanyJen Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I would get professional testing done. It is expensive, but it will allow you to find out what is really at issue here, so that you can address it while your DC is still elastic enough to benefit from intervention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber in SJ Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 My my 15yo dd is dysgraphic. She has some of the issues you mention as well as she turns words inside out as she writes them, even if she spells them out loud! She does this with numbers as well which as you can guess makes quite a mess with things like long division. She also experiences extreme hand fatigue when it comes to writing. Her words have random upper case letters, the writing gets gradually bigger then smaller on the line, chunks of words get left out as well as small words. She can not seem to use punctuation to save her life, even though she can tell you the rules for using all punctuation marks. Some of the things that have helped us over the years are: Writing on an inclined surface like a draftsman desk, or lap desk with an incline. Finding the right pencil. Some kids need fatter pencils, some kids need skinny ones, just keep trying. Graph paper for math. This made a huge difference for us. We even send blank graph paper along for the standardized testing she is required to take. Typing. I know you said that the issues are about the same with writing & typing, but the word processing program will alert her to spelling & grammar issues and she can correct them which makes her feel more in control rather than me giving her back a paper filled with red marks. HWOT paper kept some of her spacing issues under control. None of these things made the problem go away the way I wanted it to, but they have changed things for the better. HTH, Amber in SJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ipsey Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Thanks, everyone. I appreciate the suggestions and insights, and I may have some testing done as well. I. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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