We had added to his IEP that he cannot be penalized for spelling unless it's a spelling test, and that grammar and spelling are not part of the grade on projects. That being said, I proof his major projects and help him with the spelling, punctuation, etc. when possible.
Our ds has the same accommodation, and like ABQMom, I provide him with a lot of support in terms of proofreading and helping him with spelling, punctuation etc. Using word prediction software also helps improve the overall quality of his spelling/punctuation etc.
I also think that it's helpful to realize that the whole key behind dysgraphia is the lack of developing automaticity. The first place that really stands out is in the actual letter formation - the automaticity that develops early on in learning letter formation for NT kids just takes sooooo so very long for kids with dysgraphia (if it ever develops - my ds, in spite of having legible handwriting, will tell you he is actually thinking through how to make each letter each time he writes it). When he was younger and going through handwriting OT I didn't realize that that lack of automaticity extends into other skills, but he has had to do the same type of repeat/repeat/repeat/repeat.... way more than a NT kid... for many other tasks associated with writing (and other things too).
The last thing I'll add - which you didn't ask about, but which was a real "gotcha" for our ds at school once he'd developed legible handwriting - his handwriting, although legible, is *extremely* slow. We had so many teachers insisting that his handwriting was "OK!" when really, it took forever and sucked up all his working memory but it *looks* "ok".
OK, one more thing - what was "legible" at the end of ds' OT (end of 3rd grade, 9 years old) is still legible, but it hasn't progressed to "look" like his peers handwriting looks - it still looks like 3rd grade level handwriting.
polarbear
