HANDWRITING

APRIL 10, 2002

HANDWRITING

In my experience over the years, I’ve discovered that virtually every ADDer I’ve had   HATES TO WRITE . These students have terrific ideas but the process of putting thoughts on paper (handwriting) is difficult for them. This newsletter is designed to give you some interventions/strategies to consider for the child with good ideas but an aversion to handwriting.

First, you must expect all children to be able to write legibly. This is a lifelong skill that must be developed. Sure, keyboarding skills are important, but in the future, I’d bet a year’s salary that people will still need to be able to write – fill out applications, write out the grocery list, write a reminder note to themselves, send personal notes/information they don’t want saved on a computer, and so forth. Therefore, it is, in my opinion, imperative that all learn to write legibly.

Second, effective writing instruction must be presented. It doesn’t really make any difference which writing method is used but direct instruction is needed. Students come to me with varying levels of proficiency. Some can print Zaner-Blosser style and others do well with D’Nelian. The problem I encounter is that students form (draw) the letters in weird ways, which not only slows them down in the writing process but also makes transition to cursive more difficult. Examples off the top of my head = writing the manuscript t – starting at the cross line and then adding the vertical line, making the circle for a lower case g backwards and then lifting the pencil and tagging on the “tail” of the g, and making the lower case m by simply making three humps, starting at the bottom without a “stem” to begin the letter. Students in the lower grades and those transitioning to cursive absolutely must be monitored for correct formation of each letter to avoid future difficulties.

Third, use technology to assist with those with severe handwriting difficulties. There are programs available to teach touch-typing and convert speech to text. Those with physical limitations resulting in an inability to write must be afforded such accommodations. Alas, in education WHAT YOU SHOW (i.e. written work) is taken as an indication of    WHAT YOU KNOW . For example, ask an ADDer to write about say, their weekend. You’re lucky if the ADDer produces a half a page before announcing, "That’s all I did over the weekend." Have the child later TELL you about another weekend and YOU write it down. You will be amazed at the level of verbal output compared to the written word.

Fourth, impress upon students that their thoughts are more important than the “neatness, spelling, capitalization, spacing and punctuation” of their composition. Many who dislike writing, feel that way due to frequent criticism of conventions in their writing. They spend so much energy trying to remember the i before e rule, when to use a period and so forth that their actual composition becomes an exercise in frustration rather than an expression of their thoughts. Students will think of a sentence like: The gorgeous blond collie bounded over the broken fence. but will write: The dog jumped over the fence. Why does such a simple sentence appear on the paper instead of the better, more descriptive one? The student can’t spell gorgeous, blond, or collie and knows the teacher won’t tell him. The teacher will say, “Look it up.” Not surprisingly the student will not want to look up the word – does gorgeous have a g or a j, collie with a c or a k? It’s just too much work, so he settles for words he CAN spell.

ACCOMMODATIONS & STRATEGIES
TO CONSIDER

Back up and provide effective PENMANSHIP INSTRUCTION. Yes, it will take time but it will almost certainly be worth it in the long run. Students need to be able to write as quickly as their peers and without your assistance, may forever be THE LAST ONE DONE. A study by Graham, Harris, and Fink (2000) showed that “supplemental handwriting instruction can boost compositional fluency.” This study also demonstrated that “early intervention programs that provide instruction in either handwriting or spelling can have a positive effect on one aspect of struggling writers’ composing, namely, compositional fluency, as measured by children’s ability to either craft sentences or generate text when writing.”

Have students use an ERASABLE PEN . This is surprising but I’ve discovered that for SOME students, writing with a pencil irritates them. They may not even realize it but the sound, feel, and smudginess of writing with a number 2-pencil seems to grate on their nerves somehow. Using an erasable pen alleviates that “scratchy” sound and feel which some kids don’t even realize is bothering them.

POSTURE – Yes, it is probably true that writing posture can help the reluctant writer. Slanting of letters in cursive is directly linked with writing posture. Also, holding the writing instrument properly is important. I’ve seen kids with odd pencil grips that make it impossible for them to see the point of their pencil as they write. They are essentially writing “blind”. No wonder their letters float above and below the base line and are of different sizes rather than being more uniform. There are “grips” you can slip on pencils and pens to help promote a proper finger placement on the pencil or pen.

As stated earlier, for the child with severe motor problems, teach touch-typing or provide speech to text computer assistance.

AS A LAST RESORT – Get the child a scribe – someone to do the writing for him or her. A student with a physical disability or extreme aversion to writing will be able to SHOW WHAT THEY KNOW, with a scribe. Below is how I use this accommodation for a child with severe Tourettes Syndrome (TICS).

The child dictates to me and I type exactly what is said. I do not put a capital or period or start a new paragraph without being told to. I sometimes ask for the spelling of a word if it is one I’m pretty sure the child doesn’t know.

After the scribing, I print the child’s composition out on the computer exactly as dictated, then the child is asked to edit it for errors.

If I insisted this child write compositions without assistance it would take days for the child to produce a composition of about 30 words. This way, a composition of from 100-150 words can be written easily. Yes, it takes up a lot of my time but, this child is on an IEP and this is an accommodation prescribed by the IEP team. I am required by law to provide this assistance.

SUMMARY

Reading, writing and arithmetic. Of these three, which is the most important? In my opinion

writing

... because if you can’t write, you can’t SHOW WHAT YOU KNOW.

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DISCLAIMER

This information is for educational purposes only. Much of the information is from classes and workshops I’ve taken during my 30+ years of working with ADD & ADHD students – sprinkled with my own comments, thoughts and insights.

Some information has been acquired from the INTERNET. Be aware that not all information on the WWW is accurate. Use your own judgment.

This information is not intended to replace information from your doctor, therapist, lawyer, psychologist, nutritionist or psychiatrist. Consult your child’s (or your own) doctor for additional input.

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Editor: BJ Madewell

Wichita, KS area

316-733-9532

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www.ADDchoices.com

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BJ Madewell

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