I am looking for some direction in what specific tests may need to be done to assist my child in his writing capabilities. I work with him all the time and buy those pads with the large lines and dotted lines in the middle like we used in kindergarten and he just doesn’t get it. I can’t read his work or the notes in his agenda. Most of the time he can’t either and if he doesn’t happen to remember what he wrote that day we don’t know what it says. He is in the 3rd grade now. When I brought up the problem when he was in kindergarten the teacher said it was too soon to worry about it. I excepted that and waited out. First grade…I felt he didn’t have a very “teaching” teacher so I waited out that year. Second grade, his teacher was a SpEd specialist for like 30 years so I thought if a problem exists she will be right on top of it. Her response was “I can read it” and I would have to get her to tell me what his papers said. She told me ” He writes things like he says them it so you just have to sound it out” That did not explain the bad spacing, the capitals always where they shouldn’t be. His own creative way to make letters, and the variety of shapes and sizes of letters (if we can call them letters) all over the page. She referer him to EIP class for the this school year. (3rd) (smaller classroom) she felt he would do better with less distractions. Which I think has helped a lot for some problems he has. During the course of the year, he was diagnosed with ADHD combined type. His EIP teacher keeps telling me that he could write better if he would slow down. He has perfect control over this, he just doesn’t want to. Some times he spells the same word wrong a variety of ways in a paragraph. It almost seems to me that when he is writing, as long as he knows what he is thinking, its ok. I try to express to him that in writing, he has got to let the reader know what he is saying. I feel that writing is very important communication skill. I now have a doctors letter asking to tests to be done at the school. Any advise from the readers on what to expect or to ask for in our next EIP meeting?
Re: We can't read his writing!
Audiblox has a writing component you might want to check into.
www.audiblox2000.com
Here's a website about dysgraphia:
http://www.margaretkay.com/Dysgraphia.htm
It includes descriptions of appropriate tests.
Sounds like an OT evaluation would also be in order (occupational therapy eval). However, dysgraphia can exist even when fine motor skills test okay.
Mary
Re: We can't read his writing!
I tend to agree with the possible ADHD diagnosis having an impact upon his handwriting. Several years ago I had a 4th grade student whose handwriting was horrible. His letter formation was not consistent or accurate, thus it was no wonder that his handwriting was unreadable. He even was in an after school tutoring program where he received intense handwriting instruction (and he wanted to also) and some visible improvement was noted.
During the summer between 4th and 5th grade his mother finally decided to try out some of the ADHD meds that the pediatrician had considered. The fifth grade teacher never did believe me that I could not read this child’s handwriting in fourth grade.
Just remember that ADHD affects various parts of the brain and body differently in each child so it still is a good guessing game.
Good luck!
I’ve always been told that ADD/ADHD can spill over into a child’s handwriting. You might check this out in a great book called Educational Care by Mel Levine.
The kind of issues you describing in your son’s handwriting are hard to remediate. They can improve with age. Some work with an occupational therapist might prove helpful but what works best is learning to type. There are many good typign programs for kids out there these days.