Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Handwriting Training for Young Teen

I'd second this - with the exception that if it is dysgraphia, chances are it won't "fix" at all. Handwriting might look neater with time, but the challenge with dysgraphia that's not easy to see is the impact on written expression - the dysgraphic person has to use a significant portion of their working memory forming letters which in most people is instead free to focus on spelling, punctuation, grammar and most importantly, content.

One other note - if it is dysgraphia, then he doesn't need to develop lightning-fast typing speed for typing to make a difference. Let him develop his own method of adaptive typing and don't focus on the speed.

Best wishes,

polarbear

Can he do the 2 things separately. Type for class and work on handwriting at home. I have write things by hand so often that I believe legible not too slow writing is essential. Not pages and pages usually though.

My son is 14 now, with dyslexia and dysgraphia. About two years ago, he asked for help improving his illegible handwriting. He also had never been taught cursive in school (which is ridiculous!!). He's always had terrible handwriting, but we focussed on reading intervention and ignored writing because it would have seemed just too punitive to do both. I bought Handwriting Without Tears, and another book that received 5 stars on Amazon. He worked on it periodically over a summer. He can now write cursive, and wrote me a lovely cursive letter for Christmas! He's still slow at it, but he can write legibly and it doesn't take him too awfully long to write longhand. I think we'll go back to his 504, which allows him to write on a computer, when he takes AP classes. I'd say if your son is ASKING for help improving, get one of the handwriting books and see if he wants to do it on his own and if he wants help remembering to do it regularly. If he's motivated, he'll probably just do it himself.

I think you are right on the money. When he was much younger, there were obvious but subtle motor planning and visual-spatial (relative?) weaknesses. Over time, he has improved tremendously. I think video games and instrumental music helped along with neurological maturation. At this point, he may even be above average in those abilities but still with certain subtle issues that are generally well-compensated. It is hard for me to judge visual-spatial because my abilities are far superior to his but then they also are to the average person's. I think his visual spatial skills are okay partly because he did extremely well even with AoPS 3D Geometry problems - he can visualize well enough to create and manipulate 3D images using software in order to solve problems. Of course, when he drew and extended 3D images by hand they look confusing.

Polarbear, those are really excellent points and I know what you are getting at since my oldest is dysgraphic and have classic symptoms. I am pretty sure that DS13 is not truly dysgraphic. He can write really fast so can't possibly need to think about how to form each letter. The spacing issues have improved tremendously from early elementary and the formation issues I partly blame on lack of strict teaching/correcting in K. I can see how typing everything would be an improvement for students with dysgraphia. As for DS, I think that it takes him a long time to write neatly because he stops and thinks about what he is doing (maybe even each letter/word?) and he is trying to be too perfect.

Hats off to you and to all those teachers who have to suffer through pages and pages of barely legible handwriting!

Patypus101, you are absolutely right as far as typing for people with dysgraphia. However, it is more efficient/practical for many other students (without writing challenges) to make short notations on handouts than to either compile separate notes or scan every page before marking comments with a keyboard and printing. I have fast handwriting and also am a proficient touch-typist and would never limit myself to typing. It is faster and more efficient for DS (both while making notations and for checking/reviewing in the future) to write most of the time in class. He is fast and legible to himself and the teacher, just illegible to many classmates.

I do think he "wants" to work on handwriting at home to improve legibility to the average person. Hopefully, he will get around to using the HWT. If it were pages and pages, then he would automatically use the computer so not an issue.

That's great to hear, syoblrig! Good for your DS. Things have been heating up but hopefully by summer if not by spring, DS will have time to work on HWT on a semi-consistent basis. I think he does want my help to nudge/motivate him, kind of like an informal coach.

Thanks, spaghetti, for another confirmation that it's worth revisiting! DS doesn't approach anywhere near the severity of your DS' symptoms, but I have certainly notice neurological changes, particularly over the last couple of years. Unfortunately, DS often writes his name worse than he writes everything else, maybe because he has written it so often that he does it super fast. To be fair, it is still legible (barely) but requires an unfamiliar reader to pause.