ps - I forgot to mention what our ds' accommodations are, but fwiw, I'm mentioning them as only one example - the important thing to take away from it is that they are determined by his *individual* needs - we know he will never be able to depend on handwriting to show his knowledge, and we have a private professional's report to back us up
In his elementary school IEP:
* extended time on tests (classroom and state/standardized testing)
* use of word processor (aka computer) on essay questions on testing for classroom and state/standardized testing.
* writes answers in the question book on state/standardized testing (i.e., doesn't use the bubble/scantron sheets to record his answers)
* oral response answers for all fluency tests
* use of a word processor for any classroom and homework assignments that are longer than a 1-2 sentence answer
* quiet room for testing
Those are his "officially documented" accommodations. He also uses the following informal accommodations:
* word processor for all classwork and classroom testing (he's allowed to either scan in worksheets or just write answers on his iPad/laptop, and he is allowed to use specialized software/apps that support his writing such as word prediction, audio recording etc).
* I scribed the majority of his homework for him when he was in elementary school, and I still scribe occasionally when he is extra tired or extremely short on time.
* not graded on spelling on essays etc (points taken off for spelling/grammar only on assignments where spelling/grammar are the goals)
* extended time on writing assignments as needed (he used to use this accommodation frequently, but as he's matured and made gains in his ability to use written expression with his AT, he no longer uses this accommodation)
* allowed to get up and take a break while writing if he becomes fatigued/stuck/etc
FWIW, ds has had a lot of hand pain associated with handwriting. He never expressed it verbally when he was your ds' age - we only saw it in his actions (he would rub his wrist repeatedly and refuse to write). Once he was older he shared a lot more about how handwriting made him feel - but we still had to ask about pain. It wasn't until he was around 12-13 years old that he actually mentioned pain to us - and at that point in time I thought he was way past having pain when writing because his handwriting was so limited - but sure enough, even today, even with OT to correct posture/grip/etc, if he has to use handwriting for more than just a few minutes it causes him noticeable pain. Based on our ds' experience with pain and frustration, I wouldn't for a minute rely on a young student to be able to accurately judge how long they are able to write without fatigue. I'd also be very aware of the cumulative impact of writing fatigue - suppose you write for 10 minutes in the morning, and reach your limit - you become fatigued. Then you have another writing assignment an hour later, and again you limit it just to the edge of where you anticipate it will become tiring (another 10 minutes). And this happens all day long, repeatedly. The amount of time/number of words a child is going to be able to write without becoming fatigued is going to diminish over the course of the school day, if they are constantly writing to the point of fatigue. And what is fatigue? It's more than just a hand becoming tired or sore, it's mental fatigue from having to deal with how to from letters, spelling, grammar etc at the same time. That's why I think it's so important to have a qualified professional take a look at each individual child and make the determination - what is appropriate for this child.
Hope some of that helps!
polarbear
