Ds10 has dysgraphia. He had 2 years of OT and has had an IEP for about a year. His IQ scores are in the 99th percentile as is his reading comprehension. His achievement test for written expression is about the 50th percentile. He has had a portable keyboard for about 2 years. He has made a lot of progress, and now his spacing, capitalization, and punctuation are pretty good. He can also write or print legibly but slowly. His spelling has always been pretty good.
His teacher says his writing is lacking in details, and he doesn�t seem to know where to add details. He is able to do so when it�s pointed out where he needs to expand. Without that help, she said a person who was unaware of his difficulties would think he just didn�t put much effort into his writing (maybe why the teacher last year called him lazy). I asked about how one goes about teaching better writing, and his teacher said she isn�t sure �his brain works that way.� She said once he finishes school, he will probably do more technical writing, so it won�t be an issue. I think it might be an issue.
Do you have any suggestions on how to teach written expression? He reads a lot, but mostly non-fiction and graphic novels. I�d like to work with him this summer. I�m afraid he won�t get much writing help in middle school next year.
