Do you write much of any length by hand any more?

[rose]

I've been grappling with a growing awareness that ds14's dysgraphia will probably always cause him some issues. It's mild but definitely still a hindrance for him.  He's legible but 3 sentence will cramp his hand and stress him out. I've been allowing more and more of his writing to be done on the computer lately but I have lingering doubts that it's wise to completely switch over to computer use. At the same time I also realise that in this age most people use the computer for everything. I was discussing this with dh this evening and he was saying that in his  work he routinely writes paragraphs by hand and to do otherwise would be a nuisance (he's a gp and he's making chart notes). That got me thinking. How often do you think that most people write stuff out by hand? I certainly don't. Every once in a blue moon I'll write someone a real snail mail letter but that's almost always my unusual friends that don't use the internet for religious reasons. How often do you write anything more than a quick note or a gov't form by hand? Thoughts?

[scrapbookbuzz]

I'm a writer and I always do my first rough draft in longhand. I find it too difficult to formulate creative thoughts (fiction)

while typing on a keyboard. That may be because that's how I learned to compose - via longhand. And if I want to remember 

something, I literally need to write it down. Typing it into my phone's calendar or online just doesn't make it "stick" for me.

For your son, though, longhand is just adding to the complexities of writing and obviously not helping. Typing may be the best

answer for him and/or something like Dragon for speech-to-text.

[Robin M]

I write everyday in longhand. Stories, journal, writing prompts, letters, notes. I can't think looking at screen and found writing helps me think.

[Petrichor]

I'm sure it's possible to never need to write anything long by hand nowadays. I prefer to write on paper when I write for leisure, and also while taking notes.

 

I find that when I write notes with pen and paper, especially with a variety of color choices, I retain the info better and like to re-read my notes.

 

In college (not too long ago) most students didn't take notes by laptop, and I *think* some instructors had rules against it. Though I'm sure he would probably be able to get permission to type notes from most professors (or that might be something colleges have to accommodate?)

 

I'm sure his profession would matter too. Some/most fields require a lot of "field writing." My DH has a computer job and I doubt he is ever required to write things by hand. If he does, it's rare.

[Murphy101]

I write stuff long hand all the time. So do all of my kids. Even my grown kids.

[OneStepAtATime]

DD and I write stuff out by hand all the time.

 

DS types most things.

 

My nephew and my husband type nearly everything.  

Edited July 29, 2017 by OneStepAtATime

[TrixieB]

Yes, I write quite a lot by hand at work.

[OneStepAtATime]

And to clarify, I write a lot of things out by hand but the bulk of my communication and work for the business is typed.  

[regentrude]

I write by hand almost daily.

 

All of my students take their class notes by hand; in physics, typing is not helpful because of equations and diagrams. The 1% of students who use a computer in class have a tablet with stylus and write "by hand" as well.

They all complete their homework assignments for my classes by hand, several pages per week.

 

My kids take their college notes by hand, both in science and in humanities classes. My DS does a lot of creative writing and writes about philosophy for fun - all by hand in notebooks.

Edited July 29, 2017 by regentrude

[Arcadia]

Is there any national exams in Canada that would require your son to write by hand? He could probably get accommodations to type instead of write though for exams.

 

My oldest had horrid writing stamina by hand. His hand used to swell slightly at the right wrist. However he does math and science by hand, German and Chinese mostly by hand, English mostly typed. My kids just went to cybercamp this week and they took notes by hand. My oldest boy's notes handwriting was legible but not as pretty as younger boy. However younger boy does write slightly slower.

 

ETA:

My husband is a electrical engineer (R&D) while I was a computer engineer. We rarely write on the job. We draw using the computer.

Edited July 29, 2017 by Arcadia

[rose]

And to clarify, I write a lot of things out by hand but the bulk of my communication and work for the business is typed.  

 

That's really what I'm wondering about. We all have to write the odd thing by hand here and there. I'll write a todo list or a phone number or grocery list or even a couple of sentences on a sticky note for a friend when I return something. Ds can do all this, albeit slowly, with very poor spelling and some strange blips like an occasional random capital letter. I'm really wondering more about substantial writing, like an actual paragraph or more by hand.

 

[OneStepAtATime]

That's really what I'm wondering about. We all have to write the odd thing by hand here and there. I'll write a todo list or a phone number or grocery list or even a couple of sentences on a sticky note for a friend when I return something. Ds can do all this, albeit slowly, with very poor spelling and some strange blips like an occasional random capital letter. I'm really wondering more about substantial writing, like an actual paragraph or more by hand.

 

 

This is the age of technology.  Is it helpful to have great handwriting AND be able to type?  Sure.  But not being able to write things out well by hand does not mean someone is crippled and unable to function.  The physical act of writing isn't really that much of an issue these days.  The bigger issue is his ability to get ideas out on paper, whether written or typed.  How well does he do with that?

 

As I believe I have mentioned to you before, my nephew and my husband are dysgraphic (so is my son).  My nephew's handwriting is utterly illegible.  I mean that sincerely.  Utterly illegible.  Practice did not improve it.  Yet he graduated college with a 4.0 and has a part time job while he works out his graduate school options.  He types everything.  DH has abysmal handwriting but he is a very successful engineer.  He types nearly everything.

 

And there is always text to speech and speech to text software.

 

I've forgotten, how well does your son read?  Is he dyslexic?

[Guest]

I do, for several reasons.  For one thing, I flat enjoy the physical motion of it.  It pleases me.  I like the flexibility and creativity of the artistry.  But there are other reasons, too, based in experience, which research has come to back up all these many years later. 

 

I have always been able to ace an essay test.  Easy.  Fast forward to when I got my MBA.  I took notes on my (dual floppy early laptop using WordPerfect).  After a while though, I noticed that I was having a hard time with essay TEST questions...something completely shocking to me.  It occurred to me that when I wrote on the computer, I dumped out all my thoughts and then organized them.  But you can't do that on the fly in an essay test, in handwriting.  So I started handwriting letters to friends again.  Handwriting makes you think through everything before you start to write, to organize and edit in your head (because you can't just cut and paste).  

 

I found my writing became crisp again, and less rambling.  It was more to the point, presented more clearly and concisely, and I used better vocabulary.

 

AND when I started taking notes by hand again, I realized that what I had been doing on the computer was essentially taking dictation, not processing and noting the key ideas expressed in a lecture or conversation.  When you handwrite, you have to distill the thoughts expressed and it puts it into your brain in a different way.  

 

I don't know what I am talking about in this next part, so just bear with me.  It seems that there might be a difference in the way the Millenials' brains are wired.  Maybe they have already compensated for the electronic world.  I don't know. I'm no luddite...I prefer to read on my Kindle--the type size variety and the backlight make all the difference to me.  But, still, if it is something I want to study or remember, I make notes...by hand.  

 

 

[rose]

Is there any national exams in Canada that would require your son to write by hand? He could probably get accommodations to type instead of write though for exams.

 

 

There are no national exams like the SAT but there are provincial exams that you need to take if you want to formally graduate from highschool. I don't think that we're going to go that route. We haven't shut that door yet though. He wants to go into a trades field and that's accessible through community colleges without highschool graduation. I also think that it's quite achievable for him and many trades can provide quite good jobs. My guess is that he'll land in a mechanical or electrical trade that allows him to be really creative. He loves tinkering and building things. He's working on building a wind turbine that will charge batteries from junk parts just for fun. He's taught himself a bunch about circuits in order to himself build hobby projects but if I tried to give him a course about them he'd probably whine like I've punished him. He needs to learn with his feet on the ground and not in a brick and mortar institution. Ideally we would live 200 years ago and somebody would apprentice him. Oh well, I'm sure something will work itself out in time with some persistence.

[rose]

I've forgotten, how well does your son read?  Is he dyslexic?

 

Undiagnosed, but I think he is dyslexic as well. He reads quite well though. His main trouble with reading is just with short, out of context instructions. That will cause the odd trouble in life but mainly I'm concerned about the writing issues. I haven't pursued a diagnosis because we unschooled for years (hang head in shame) and I didn't notice the issues earlier and because his reading is above grade level. I've been working to improve his writing but it's just now becoming very obvious to me because of how late we started tackling this issue that this problem is probably not going to go away without a very big fight if at all. I could spend a bunch of money and time to track down a diagnosis and then tutor that might help him some but I question the value of that given how minimally this needs to affect his life given the prevalence of technology to help him instead.

[OneStepAtATime]

Well, technology helps but how hard would it be to get him evaluated?  If he is a stealth dyslexic there are ways to help him that would not necessarily require a specialized tutor.  Is his only issue with less than stellar handwriting or is spelling/grammar/thoughts on paper and decoding and fluency also a problem?  

[Arcadia]

He's working on building a wind turbine that will charge batteries from junk parts just for fun. He's taught himself a bunch about circuits in order to himself build hobby projects but if I tried to give him a course about them he'd probably whine like I've punished him.

Maybe he might like the book The boy who harnessed the wind.

 

"This might not seem like a mighty feat. But Kamkwamba, who grew up in Masitala, a tiny rural farming village off the grid in Malawi, was 14 years old in 2001 when he spotted a photo of a windmill in a U.S. textbook one day. He decided to make one, hacking together a contraption from strips of PVC pipe, rusty car and bicycle parts and blue gum trees.

 

Though he ultimately had big designs for his creation, all he really wanted to do initially was power a small bulb in his bedroom so he could stay up and read past sunset.

 

But one windmill has turned into three, which now generate enough electricity to light several bulbs in his family’s house, power radios and a TV, charge his neighbors’ cellphones and pump water for the village’s fields and household use.

...

Rain and crops slowly returned the following season, but Kamkwamba still couldn’t afford tuition. So with time on his hands, he began visiting a rural library where he found two textbooks — Explaining Physics and Using Energy — that detailed the marvels of electricity. The cover of the latter book featured a long row of towering windmills planted on brown hills, which “appeared so powerful that they made the photo itself appear to be in motion.â€

 

Malawi was short on many resources, but not wind. A windmill, Kamkwamba thought, would solve many problems for his parents and six sisters. Not only could it generate free electricity — saving his family the economic costs and health hazards of burning kerosene — but it could also pump deep well water to the family’s maize and tobacco crops, releasing them from the tyranny of weather patterns and allowing them to add a second growing season to their harvest year."

https://www.wired.com/2009/10/kamwamba-windmill/

 

Also look into this for British Columbia

"Industry Training Authority works with employers, employees, industry, labour, training providers, and government to manage credentials, apprenticeships, and standards, and increase opportunities in the trades. Stop by the ITA booth to learn about trades training in the K- 12 system. ITA’s Youth Programs give youth the chance to try out different trades and get a head start on an apprenticeship while they’re still in high school.

 

Their mission is to lead BC’s industry skills training and certification system through collaboration and innovation. ITA is a provincial crown agency, established in 2004." http://vancouver.makerfaire.com/maker/entry/96/

 

Also this if it is near to you

"TheEgg art incubator is a year-round interactive art workshop and gathering place for the Vancouver burning man community." http://www.theegg.ca

[displace]

I handwrite to do lists sometimes.

 

I'm surprised how many people handwrite often. When we did a public school trial for DS, I did a lot of handwriting. Otherwise, no. My last two jobs I rarely handwrote either.

 

For dysgraphics, it's recommended to embrace technology solutions for everyday tasks. Assuming he lives in a modern world he could probably avoid most daily writing tasks.

[Robin M]

For years therapist works on my son's hand grip trying to get him to hold pen and or pencil properly rather than fist grip. Concentrating on holding the pencil totally distracted him from what he was trying to write. Once they quit bugging him about the grip, he became more proficient at gathering and writing thoughts by hand as well as on computer. He now prefers writing papers on the computer and thinks much better and quickly. I've tried getting him to write outlines but he says he keeps it all in his head until he is ready to type. Although I've been reading Fire Up Your Writing Brain which talks about how important writing long hand is for memory and learning, there are just some people who can't write and think at the same time, like my son. And he never forgets anything he reads or hears and he types everything. His therapist doesn't have a problem with his hand grip anymore and encourages him to type if that's what works for him.

 

So, as far as your son is concerned, if he is learning, writing and producing papers just fine, don't force him to hand write.

There are accommodations for both high school and college so he doesn't have to take notes by hand. If it hurts his hand to write, then let him do all his work on the computer.

[Melissa in Australia]

Anything of length I write on the computer.

 

When doing my teaching degree a few years ago I did everything on the computer. No handwriting at all.

[Ottakee]

Undiagnosed, but I think he is dyslexic as well. He reads quite well though. His main trouble with reading is just with short, out of context instructions. That will cause the odd trouble in life but mainly I'm concerned about the writing issues. I haven't pursued a diagnosis because we unschooled for years (hang head in shame) and I didn't notice the issues earlier and because his reading is above grade level. I've been working to improve his writing but it's just now becoming very obvious to me because of how late we started tackling this issue that this problem is probably not going to go away without a very big fight if at all. I could spend a bunch of money and time to track down a diagnosis and then tutor that might help him some but I question the value of that given how minimally this needs to affect his life given the prevalence of technology to help him instead.

The benefit of a diagnosis would be accommodations in college...more time, use of computer, etc.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I handwrite notes and lists.  I also tend to sketch out a spreadsheet design before I open excel, just to get a basic idea.  

 

For any longer writing though, i tend to type.  But I did handwrite probably through the end of high school, and I wonder if the forced-mental-organizaiton carried over now into my typing, as I tend to type things out that don't need a lot of re-arranging after.  That may also just be a personality style though.  

 

Our pediatrician types his notes directly into the computer.  My GP is very old-school and he still dictates his notes, which are then typed up by his nurse-secretary.  My husband types at work, but hand writes all of his personal notes for his hobby interests (geology, US law, etc.)

 

I do think there are probably some retention advantages to hand writing, and I believe there are studies backing that up.  But I wouldn't use that to force a child who has tried but continues to struggle with handwriting.  There comes a time when it's ok to accept accommodation, especially for something so easily accommodated.  

[Ottakee]

I wonder how much of our handwriting things is because that is the way we grew up and learned.

 

I am learning Spanish and do hand write as I think it helps me retain it better.

 

I do agree though that for a student with handwriting problems that going to mostly typing is fine.

[Guest]

Well, a few things here: I do write by hand every day. When I am writing creatively, writing by hand helps me access my creative mind better than trying to type directly.

 

For your son, here is my experience: I think it is better to practice writing by hand a little every day than to assume he will just type what he needs. I have come to this conclusion from my own son's LDs. (He does not have a dysgraphia dx, but it was a close thing.) If I were starting over at 12yo (and in a way, I am, because I have another son who is similar), I would "make" him practice some handwriting and some tracing every school day. With daily exercise, it builds like a muscle.

 

For tracing, I used the Draw Write Now books because the pictures are easy to trace.

[Pawz4me]

I write very little by hand -- to do lists, a grocery list, the occasional card and hand addressed envelope.

 

DS18 doesn't have a formal dysgraphia diagnosis but he has rather severe visual/spatial deficits that cause his handwriting to be quite awful (mostly legible, but awful) and cause him difficulty if he has to look up to a board and then down at a paper to write notes. His accommodations recommend the use of a smart pen and he's found it quite helpful, although he was three-fourths of the way to earning his AS degree before we got the accommodation and he managed okay. The psychologist who did his testing felt that handwriting is so difficult for him that he was relying on his (prodigious) working memory more than he should have to.

[Guest]

That's really what I'm wondering about. We all have to write the odd thing by hand here and there. I'll write a todo list or a phone number or grocery list or even a couple of sentences on a sticky note for a friend when I return something. Ds can do all this, albeit slowly, with very poor spelling and some strange blips like an occasional random capital letter. I'm really wondering more about substantial writing, like an actual paragraph or more by hand.

 

The thing is, physically writing strengthens neural connections in the brain. It is good for the brain to have to remember the way words are spelled and what punctuation goes where. Writing is the highest mental level of communication. For my own kids, I am going to boost them up to that as best I can. I'm not going to allow them to not practice because there are ways around it now. (This was what I allowed to happen with my older child and I REGRET it big time.) I let my older son use Dragon; I let him type, I let him listen to audiobooks so he wouldn't have to grapple with written text. And then, we he did finally receive an evaluation, his handwriting and mental writing organization skills were about six grade levels behind. I grant you, some of this is about his ability, but some of it is also about practice.

 

We don't say about our children, "Well, holding a fork and spoon properly is hard for my son, so we just let him eat with his hands and sip out of an upturned bowl." No, every day, we have them eat with proper utensils and in that way, we teach him bit by bit. (Obviously, I'm not talking about someone who literally cannot hold a fork due to some sort of disability).

 

Especially since you are coming from previous unschooling, I think you would benefit from adding some structure and expectations there daily.

[kewb]

Yes. I remember better if I write by hand. Keyboarding does not set things in my memory as well.

My kids can go a long time without taking pen to paper.

[regentrude]

Yes. I remember better if I write by hand. Keyboarding does not set things in my memory as well.

 

This has been scienctifically established. Look up the study "the pen is mightier than the keyboard".

[Loowit]

I enjoy writing notes by hand at meetings (I like to doodle mostly) but otherwise I do pretty much everything on the computer.

 

My DH does almost everything typed except the odd post-it note at work.  He is a system engineer and does a lot of coding and stuff that really needs to be typed.  However, he has, I believe, undiagnosed dysgraphia.  He struggled a lot in school with pain when writing, so his teachers worked with him and allowed him to type his papers. This was back in the days before computers were really a big thing for students in class, so he had to go down to the office and use their computer.  This was very freeing for him, and really helped him to succeed in school where before he dreaded going because of writing.  By high school and college all of his work that he could do on computer, was done on computer.

 

I never really appreciated how much struggle it was for DH and in the back of my mind always thought he could have improved by just practicing handwriting more and building up muscles in his hands.  Then I had a child with the same struggle.  He avoids handwriting like the plague.  I started him on cursive early on and that helped slightly with some things like reversals, and capital letters in the middle of words, but it was still hard for him to write for any length of time, even with practice.

 

I have had him evaluated several times and the recommendation from "experts" has always been to allow him to type or use dictation software when possible but to still do things to strengthen his fine motor skills. This has helped some, but due to his dyslexia and slow processing he still struggles to get his thoughts onto "paper" right now.  I am working on setting him up for dictation software this coming school year.  He still has things he hand writes like for Greek, math, etc, but the bulk of his composition I plan to allow on computer.  Right now his future career thoughts are leaning towards robotics engineer or law enforcement, both of which heavily rely on computers from my experience.

 

I also wonder if the handwriting/retention connection will change as the younger generation grows up using computers and typed forms of communication more and more.  Will it lead to a connection from a young age that my generation wouldn't have had?  My DH started typing his work at a younger age than most and says that he much prefers typing and finds that he does just fine with retention and much better and putting his thought together that way rather than by hand.  Obviously that is not a scientific approach to the subject, but it is enough to make me stop and think.

[wapiti]

I have horrible handwriting.  I have always had horrible handwriting, my entire life, though I doubt it ever approached a level bad enough for diagnosis.  It was not for lack of trying.  I distinctly remember being the last person allowed to write with pen in my elementary classroom and even then I knew the teacher was merely taking pity on me.  Now, I write grocery lists and thank-you notes by hand and the latter frequently need to be re-written.

The last time I wrote at length by hand was law school finals, which involved filling three or more full-size blue books in three hrs in a writing sprint.  My hand hurts just thinking about it, but I survived.  That was over 20 yrs ago.  Even back then, I never wrote long hand working as a lawyer; the old lawyers had their long yellow pads (and secretary priority!) and the young lawyers had their laptops.  Right this minute, dh, now himself the gray-haired partner, is in his office at the computer.  I don't think there's a yellow pad on his desk.  I'm trying to think of an occasion in that realm where a person might need to take long-hand notes, when the laptop might not be available... that would be very rare.

I strongly recommend cursive and I am ticked that the elementary school phased out cursive during the time three of my kids should have learned it.  The school has since gone back to it and we shall see if I can make it a summer project for my kids at some point.  But, not being able to do it well is not likely to hold a person back.  I would not lose sleep over this for your dysgraphic kiddo.

ETA, I do think writing by hand facilitates memory and so forth.  For a person with visual-spatial strengths, there is a uniqueness to the notes made by hand.  However, there is a huge downside for a dysgraphic individual:  information is lost in the speed and mental effort bottleneck that lies between the thinking and the written result.

Edited July 29, 2017 by wapiti

[Wheres Toto]

When I'm working as an executive assistant, everything is typed.  I would handwrite quick notes while talking to my boss about assignments, but all work was done electronically.  My super-messy handwriting didn't matter.   

 

I didn't used to have such messy handwriting, but I broke my right wrist badly in a car accident when I was pregnant with dd.  Because I was 12 weeks pregnant, they couldn't do the surgery they wanted to do, so it didn't heal quite right.  10 years later it still gives me trouble at times.  So, writing by hand is very difficult except for short stretches.  I keep a journal by hand, write things in my calendar, to-do lists, and I like to color.  

 

Dh is a chemist for biopharma.  He takes labnotes by hand but all final reports are done electronically.

[SparklyUnicorn]

I don't really.  Other than math problems.  My husband does not either.  

 

One of my kids is like this.  I let him type everything.  He writes out math problems (a struggle, but he manages).  I have him practice stuff like timed hand written essays.  I had a hard time letting go of being worried about this, but as time goes on I'm finding it's not a huge issue. 

[SporkUK]

I write a lot, constantly have multiple notebooks going...though thinking on it, I rarely hand write more than a couple sentences at a time unless I'm copying information or rewriting notes. I'll write a little bit, read something or do something else, so a bit more writing. I find it hard to do major creative or other writing work by hand, I find it easier to think while typing. 

[SporkUK]

double post

Edited July 29, 2017 by SporkUK

[Arcadia]

I wonder how much of our handwriting things is because that is the way we grew up and learned.

I was in public school and had a hard time writing fast enough to copy homework and notes from the chalkboard. Luckily self study was easy for me so I studied the whole years work the two months before start of the school year to compensate. My right hand writes faster but is weaker, my left hand writes slower but can write more before tiring. I wore a wrist guard to the exam hall with teachers/proctors permission. Homeschooling was not legalize yet in my home country when I was school aged and I need school anyway for my social needs.

 

  

I have come to this conclusion from my own son's LDs. (He does not have a dysgraphia dx, but it was a close thing.) If I were starting over at 12yo (and in a way, I am, because I have another son who is similar), I would "make" him practice some handwriting and some tracing every school day. With daily exercise, it builds like a muscle.

For my DS12, learning the cello was hard because his right hand and arm were either sore from writing or from bowing. Tennis was easier because he could use his left hand if he wants to. Piano for leisure was also easier because he can play or compose a melody on my piano with his left hand. It is a lot better than when he was 4 but when he switch to writing awkwardly with his left hand, the pain on his right hand has breached his tolerance level.

[Arcadia]

ETA, I do think writing by hand facilitates memory and so forth. For a person with visual-spatial strengths, there is a uniqueness to the notes made by hand. However, there is a huge downside for a dysgraphic individual: information is lost in the speed and mental effort bottleneck that lies between the thinking and the written result.

Both my kids have visual-spatial strengths though it's not obvious. My oldest notes are similar to what my school aged notes were, in infographics form. He would draw a concept instead of write notes for it. I think my kids severely compensate for their slow writing speed when watching lectures in videos format by using their working memory like crazy. They find it easier to watch twice than to keep pausing to make notes.

[J-rap]

I don't like to write by hand at all.  My mind always gets ahead of my fingers and then I make mistakes, plus my writing looks sloppy.  I handwrite notes in cards to people, and other short exercises/lists/memos, but everything else I try and do on my computer.

[displace]

Most connections and studies between writing and memorization/learning are NOT applicable to dysgraphia and other learning disabilities. The disability prevents leaning in this manner and usually makes learning more difficult. Instead the brain is focused on forming letters/spelling/order of words and letters/how to make the letter a, etc. This prevents learning content while writing, for the most part. A detrimental assumption is that people with dysgraphia learn by writing. It is so hard to help others understand how difficult it is for someone with dysgraphia, and to fight misconceptions.

 

 

*there may be an exception or two, but they are rare. People with dysgraphia and other LD learn by other means, not how NT people learn, usually.

Edited July 30, 2017 by displace

[prairiewindmomma]

I come from a long line of dysgraphics. I don't have dysgraphia, but both my father and son write in awkward capital letters when they write "for themselves" (grocery lists, phone messages, etc).

 

I went to law school with a number of dysgraphics and dyslexics and our ped allergist, pediatrician, and garage door repairman, and a number of others in our circles have dysgraphia. The white collar people tend to either type or dictate longer passages. Our ds has DragonDictate software.

 

Fwiw, the accommodation for exams at the law school I attended is to put you in a room with a typewriter and an attendant (to make sure you don't have hidden crib notes).

 

Don't worry about this. If he can fill out medical forms (3-5 pages) and the like, he will be ok. Even if he can't, teaching advocacy (calling and asking for the forms beforehand or allocating extra time to work with a nurse) will serve him well.

[SKL]

Not often, but this is a timely subject, because just yesterday I was at the car fixit place and their computers were malfunctioning.  The service lady had a page of hand-written notes on her desk, which I noticed because it's so unusual any more.  I said, this is why we need to continue to teach writing, because our kids won't know what to do if the electricity or internet fail, LOL.

 

I'm not sure but they probably still have essay tests and such in high school / college.  Not sure but they may still have to write some of them longhand.  :P

[Soror]

I can only do final drafts on the computer unless it is a spreadsheet. 

[HS Mom in NC]

I hand write cards, notes in my Bible reading journal, and lists. I occasionally hand write brainstorming when I'm not sure what format I want the final draft in. 

 

Other than that it's far more efficient to type in order to keep up with my thoughts and to keep things stored electronically.

[fraidycat]

I only type on social media, message boards, and in emails. Everything else I hand write - like client session notes, all of my calendaring is done by hand or it will not stick in my head, shopping lists - same, all of my class notes when I was doing a course, all of my business plans/goals/ideas. All handwritten in pretty ink colors.

 

For me, typing would be about the same as not writing it down at all. Others are not as visual/kinesthetic as me and can get by with computers and digital media. Some days I envy them, but then I remember all the pretty colors and pens I "need" and am happy again. :D

[OneStepAtATime]

Most connections and studies between writing and memorization/learning are NOT applicable to dysgraphia and other learning disabilities. The disability prevents leaning in this manner and usually makes learning more difficult. Instead the brain is focused on forming letters/spelling/order of words and letters/how to make the letter a, etc. This prevents leaning content while writing, for the most part. A detrimental assumption is that people with dysgraphia learn by writing. It is so hard to help others understand how difficult it is for someone with dysgraphia, and to fight misconceptions.

 

 

*there may be an exception or two, but they are rare. People with dysgraphia and other LD learn by other means, not how NT people learn, usually.

yep.  My nephew, for example, never improved in his hand writing despite years and years of trying and struggled to learn anything by hand written copywork.  His whole body and mind were working to just form a letter even remotely legibly so the content he was copying was never retained at all.  Once the school finally allowed him to type, his whole world changed.  And he did fantastic in college.  Again, though, he typed everything including notes in class.

[Guest]

Most connections and studies between writing and memorization/learning are NOT applicable to dysgraphia and other learning disabilities. The disability prevents leaning in this manner and usually makes learning more difficult. Instead the brain is focused on forming letters/spelling/order of words and letters/how to make the letter a, etc. This prevents learning content while writing, for the most part. A detrimental assumption is that people with dysgraphia learn by writing. It is so hard to help others understand how difficult it is for someone with dysgraphia, and to fight misconceptions.

 

 

*there may be an exception or two, but they are rare. People with dysgraphia and other LD learn by other means, not how NT people learn, usually.

Here's the thing, though, as it pertains to the OP: there are ways in which lack of practice and insufficient experience in a particular area can mimic a learning disability. In some cases, there may even be an LD, but it is mild and can be improved upon with exercise. The OP said that her son's difficulties are mild and she said he has not been evaluated by a professional. So, it is possible that his writing could be imporved and his endurance for writing can be built up with daily practice.

 

There are lots of ways that kids can get practice at handwriting that are not crucial for the learning/memory part. You can have them write a list every day: Fifteen Places I'd Like to Visit, Ten Things I Would Do If I Won a Million Dollars, Five Things I Want to Do This Summer, etc. You can have them free write about any topic for five minutes and tell them you aren't checking for spelling, grammar, etc., just streaming ideas. You can have them trace designs or pictures. All of these things exercise the hand and the neural pathways necessary in writing without hampering important learning.

 

I do think many of our kids today do not get enough practice, both physically and within the brain, at reading and writing, simply because it is not the only way to complete certain taks. Since you can watch a YouTube video on how to solve the Rubik's Cube, there is no reason to read a book on solving the Rubik's Cube. Since you can watch Food TV and learn how to make Jambalaya, there is no need to read a cookbook recipe to make it. And so on. We already know that some kids who appear to be dyslexic can be given eye training that resolves the "dyslexia" that perhaps was not full-blown dyslexia but was rather, poor eye tracking abilities.

 

I encourage the OP to do some practicing activities with her son and don't just give him a way around writing in the assumption that he won't actually need to write. It is the advice I wish I had been given with my DS. YMMV, of course. It's just my opinion.

[kroe1]

Never except quick notes to family. I work in an ER. Everything is charted on the computer.

[prairiewindmomma]

Here's the thing, though, as it pertains to the OP: there are ways in which lack of practice and insufficient experience in a particular area can mimic a learning disability. In some cases, there may even be an LD, but it is mild and can be improved upon with exercise. The OP said that her son's difficulties are mild and she said he has not been evaluated by a professional. So, it is possible that his writing could be imporved and his endurance for writing can be built up with daily practice.

 

There are lots of ways that kids can get practice at handwriting that are not crucial for the learning/memory part. You can have them write a list every day: Fifteen Places I'd Like to Visit, Ten Things I Would Do If I Won a Million Dollars, Five Things I Want to Do This Summer, etc. You can have them free write about any topic for five minutes and tell them you aren't checking for spelling, grammar, etc., just streaming ideas. You can have them trace designs or pictures. All of these things exercise the hand and the neural pathways necessary in writing without hampering important learning.

 

I do think many of our kids today do not get enough practice, both physically and within the brain, at reading and writing, simply because it is not the only way to complete certain taks. Since you can watch a YouTube video on how to solve the Rubik's Cube, there is no reason to read a book on solving the Rubik's Cube. Since you can watch Food TV and learn how to make Jambalaya, there is no need to read a cookbook recipe to make it. And so on. We already know that some kids who appear to be dyslexic can be given eye training that resolves the "dyslexia" that perhaps was not full-blown dyslexia but was rather, poor eye tracking abilities.

 

I encourage the OP to do some practicing activities with her son and don't just give him a way around writing in the assumption that he won't actually need to write. It is the advice I wish I had been given with my DS. YMMV, of course. It's just my opinion.

 

This is a good point.  For us, we put ds through 3hrs/week of OT for years.  At the end of last year, the OT turned to us and told us that ds had likely achieved max speed in cursive, of about 3-4 words a minute. We hit it from every angle in terms of body work, vision therapy, focused handwriting practice, etc.. He has a functional signature and enough to get by but we were having significant problems because his brain goes SO much faster than his hand can communicate.  He is a bit faster with typing, but for the composition of documents for school, voice dictation will be very important for him.

[Tanaqui]

I have very poor handwriting. I'm not sure of the exact cause, but I'm certain it's some combination between poor fine motor skills in childhood, lefthandedness, autism, and extremely poor instruction. I can make my handwriting legible, but I cannot make it look grown-up.

 

And so, I don't write all that much. I write grocery lists occasionally, or address letters that I've typed and printed. That's about it.

 

(Funnily enough, my handwriting improved markedly once I left school and wasn't forced to write anymore! It was no longer painful, and it was much easier to make it legible! There may have been something psychological in there - the worst efforts of my teachers to improve my handwriting were really just this side of bullying. Whatever the reason, it's still not pretty and I still don't like to write by hand.)

 

On the subject of diagnoses, it's better to have this all resolved before he enters college. Maybe he'll go to college and it'll turn out he doesn't need any accommodations. If so - great! He never, ever has to reveal his diagnostic status to anybody if he doesn't want to. But it's like a passport - better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

[kiwik]

I work at a science organisation and most stuff is done by hand. Devices don't like acids etc and wearing gloves makes typing hard. It is too noisy for voice recognition even if there was something that worked well with a NZ accent.

[Guest]

My ds21 takes all of his college notes in cursive, keeps a list of things to do in cursive on his Boogie Board (vs his iPad), and wrote all of his entries in his travel journal this summer in cursive. For him, it's fast.

 

Ds17 wasn't good at it and never used it. At 16, he was a bit embarrassed that his cursive was so bad, so he worked on it quite a bit and now it's nice, and he uses it. Not as much as the other ds, but he can read it and write it so he's pleased.

 

I use it quite a bit, but I'm on the IPad a lot, too.