Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Dysgraphia and Cursive

Hi all, so it just dawned on me that this school year is the year they teach cursive. DS has dysgraphia and also has trouble physically writing due to hand and joint pain because of EDS. I would like DS to learn cursive, however, because I hear often it is a better method for dysgraphics and they often find success with it. BUT how should it be handled considering his disabilities? Any BTDT advice regarding this? I am kicking myself that we didn't do OT for cursive this summer to give him a head start and to know ahead of time how he does with it! But, you know, we all just get so tired of the therapies... Anyway, I am thinking maybe we had better go ahead and start some private OT in the fall to help with the cursive. Any BTDT advice?

Nope. But I will say that some dysgraphics/dyslexics find cursive easier because you don't have to keep re-starting the writing motion, and it's easier to learn words as units, rather than a collection of letters. It does require a lot of diagonal lines, though, and constant midline crossing, which can be tough for some.