For those who have a child with dysgraphia....

[robsiew]

My 10 y/o ds has dysgraphia.  We gave up on paid therapy and I'm doing therapy at home.  I'm following Dianne Craft's Brain Training figure 8 exercises and brain training once a week.  I am also following her plan for struggling writers.

 

I'm wondering what type of paper do you use with your children with dysgraphia?  I've been using 2/3rd grade lined paper (with two solid lines with a dashed in between).  But as he progresses to writing a paragraph or more I know we will run into the problem of him thinking he's writing more because it takes up so much space on the page.  Right now 3 sentences take up almost the whole page.  The more pages he has to write the worse his attitude is going to be.

 

We tried wide lined notebook paper, but that failed miserably.  He still can't even write the letters correctly on the 3 lined paper.  We did HWT for handwriting years ago... maybe we try to return to the two lines, but I'm afraid at this point it will confuse him moving from 3 to 2 lines.

 

Any suggestions?  Thanks!

[Heathermomster]

Perhaps consider teaching your DS to type.  I taught my DS to type in 5th grade and typing has been a game changer for him.

[OneStepAtATime]

I, also, have a DS who is 10 and dysgraphic.  Yes, typing, if he can do it, might be enormously helpful.  You might look at a program like Typing Pal or Type to Learn 4 (latter has typing games and both of my kids are using it, age 10 and 13).  Homeschool Buyer's Co-op usually has these on sale.  Adjust words per minute down to about 5 and accuracy to about 95% until muscle memory is stronger for location of the letters.  And work hard to get posture and finger positioning automatic from early on (not in a negative way, just through consistent positive reinforcement).  Keep lessons short until it smooths out.

 

Also, for DS, we found dry erase boards that start out with the wide line dot in the middle, but had smaller and smaller sizes of lines available so we have slowly been practicing with smaller lines on the dry erase.  DS really prefers dry erase, but to keep him strengthening muscles and handling the harder work of pencil on paper we do that, too, every day.  

 

Also, we started with cursive handwriting through Memoria Press' cursive handwriting program, which DS finds less taxing than print.  We only do a small amount each day through his workbook, plus some practice on the lined dry erase board, and then I also am able to print out copy work in any size I want and it can print out lines in any size I need (with the dashes in the middle) through the Start Write software.  I can use vocabulary from other subjects or areas of interest, or even help him with writing letters to friends and family.  He dictates it, I type it into the software and print it out, including blank lines for him to copy the letter onto.  He does a bit of copywork every day, again to develop muscle memory, strengthen his hands, improve eye/hand coordination, etc.  Whenever we stop for a bit, he has a hard time starting up again and hates it, so I try not to stop doing it.  When we just keep it as part of the routine, he does fine and handwriting is improving.

[Jennifer-72]

I am just working on transition ds9 to regular lined paper right now.  So far pretty good.  We have just been doing spelling words and not his writing assignments.  I try to make every writing assignment different. Some things he does standing at the whiteboard some he does on blank paper with no lines and some on a small whiteboard that is interlined.  My ds's problem with writing are more with trying to motor plan the handwriting and keeping track of what he wants to write at the same time.  So as long as he tells me the sentence he plans to write first and I help hold on to the thought for him he can manage the writing okay. 

[FairProspects]

My ds types virtually everything, but the little he does write is on the 3rd grade lined paper.

[robsiew]

I have tried to teach him typing, but he has no tolerance for it.  I have read that typing can be just as difficult for these kids, and for my ds, I think that's true.. at least right now.  We may try typing again this summer when I have the other kids all take typing.  He will hunt and peck, but refuses any type of "formal" typing position. 

 

OneStepAtATime, you have some good thoughts there... he does well on the dry erase board (at least does not complain or erase as much) so maybe that's the key for now.  I will look for boards with lines....

[OneStepAtATime]

Also, have you looked into dictation software like Dragonspeak?  We are looking into this and have several people who use it insist it would be a good fit.  I am afraid his voice is still too young since the system apparently does not work as well with younger people.  Still, I plan to look into it, along with Ginger, for longer writing assignments with both kids, at least starting this next year.

 

There are two different software options for math writing specifically.  One is free and the other one costs money.  We haven't used them yet, but I posted about them on this board a few weeks ago.  Can't remember names off the top of my head but it is supposed to work well for dysgraphia situations and math.  May work best for higher math, though, like Pre-algebra and Algebra.  I can't remember...

[TechWife]

Cursive was easier than print. 

Learning to draw helped tremendously with pencil control (he started with Mark Kistler and then took off - it was all his idea)

Typing saves the day - I allow him to type almost everything now. I've never heard that typing can be hard for kids w/dysgraphia before. 

Math on the white board was much easier than math on paper.  When he started pre-algebra we had him use graph paper to make sure he kept everything lined up. Algebra 1 was largely done on the white board, geometry was done on regular college ruled paper and Algebra 2 is being done on regular, college ruled paper. He does chemistry equations on the white board, then copies them over to college ruled paper to turn in. 

 

We moved to regular notebook paper in 4th grade, then fairly quickly on to college ruled paper. He wrote very small, so he preferred the college ruled paper. 

 

Are you doing fine motor activities with him other than writing? It really helps. The book Activities for Fine Motor Skills Development is great. 

[Heathermomster]

When I brought DS home from a nt classroom to teach typing, he went through a decompression period.  He previously took typing with his peers once per week for two years and never ventured past the j and f keys.  At home, we worked daily and slowly, plus he was highly motivated to learn.

 

There are typing programs designed for kids with learning issues.  Here's a website with a list of typing software.  The Keyboard Classroom software might be something to consider.  I've heard the expression adapted keyboarding, but I don't really understand what that means or how to apply the concept.  One handed keyboarding seems to be popular.  OhElizabeth taught her DD to type using Dvorak.

 

There have been several threads recently about speech to text software using the IPad, MAC, and PC.  For typing math, maybe check out the software Efofex.  My DS actually writes out his math by hand using 1/2" graph paper and a Penagain.  When he was younger, he used a white board; however, his handwriting seems to have improved with age.  Good luck!

[Timberly]

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[Timberly]

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[robsiew]

Thanks everyone!  Some good ideas to explore.  Good to also know others deal with this as well.  On "bad" days it can seem like he's never going to be able to write well.  On good days I really do see a lot of progress over the past few years.... patience.... patience mom!  ;-)

[dsmith]

I used Startwrite software and gradually made the lines smaller over time along with gradually eliminating the other lines. We let him figure out his own typing method too. He just could not do the standard method of typing. Chatting on Club Penguin and similar sites when he was younger really got him up to speed. He is as fast as I am, but not as fast as his dad. (He also has his own method.) At 15, ds is finally starting to overcome his handwriting issues and can use regular notebook paper, but he does a lot of his work on the computer or iPad.