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Dysgraphia: How can I help my child?

Is your child struggling with handwriting? The cause may be more than just laziness or lack of motivation; it could be a neurologically-based learning issue called dysgraphia. This post explains the signs and symptoms of dysgraphia and the steps you can take to help your child succeed in reading and spelling.

What Is Dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia: How can I help my child? - All About Learning Press

A child with dysgraphia has handwriting that is worse than you would normally see in a child of his age, intelligence, and education level.

But dysgraphia isn’t just about messy papers. A child with dysgraphia may also appear to be unmotivated or lazy, or what we sometimes refer to as a “reluctant writer.” Because he has trouble expressing his thoughts and ideas in writing, he may avoid writing altogether.

Dysgraphia can also make your child avoid seemingly normal situations. For example, does your child avoid Scouts or clubs because he may be asked to fill out forms? Is he hesitant to participate in any activity that involves writing, even something as simple as signing his own name? Has he been teased because of childish penmanship?

If so, you have probably experienced firsthand the frustration, anger, and anxiety that dysgraphia can cause.

Symptoms of Dysgraphia

As with most learning challenges, the symptoms of dysgraphia can range from mild to severe, and the symptoms may vary in the way they show up in children of different ages.

In general, a child with dysgraphia may have trouble with the following:

  • Forming letters, numbers, and words
  • Spelling words correctly
  • Organizing thoughts and ideas into written expression

Simply put, dysgraphia makes the process of writing quite difficult, so a child with dysgraphia often has a much easier time expressing ideas verbally than in writing.

Symptoms of Dysgraphia Download

Here are some additional signs of dysgraphia:

  • A tight or awkward pencil grip
  • Tires quickly while writing
  • Writing is illegible, inconsistent, and has poorly formed letters and numbers
  • Incorrect spacing and positioning of letters, words, and lines of written text
  • Writing is slow and labored
  • Complete avoidance of writing
  • Difficulty following spelling and grammar rules
  • Trouble aligning columns of numbers in math problems
  • Difficulty organizing thoughts on paper
  • Trouble with tasks that require concurrent thinking and writing

If you recognize some of these symptoms in your child, read on!

Compensation is the First Step

Compensation means helping your child “work around” his handwriting issues so he can still continue to learn.

You may be surprised to hear me say that. After all, dysgraphia is a serious issue, and surely we don’t want to just “work around” the problem, right?

Well, at first we do want to work around the penmanship issue.

This doesn’t mean that you aren’t eventually going to tackle the problem—that step will come next—but it does mean that you are going to reduce the stress that your child is likely experiencing, and at the same time make sure your student can continue to learn.

But exactly how you compensate will depend upon your child’s age and the subject areas being studied.

Here are a few ideas:

  1. Work on keyboarding skills. Using a keyboard instead of paper and pencil can be a great way to motivate a reluctant writer to express his thoughts and ideas.
  2. Do work orally. Many assignments can be completed orally with a parent.
  3. Use speech-to-text tools. Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Sound Note are good examples of speech recognition software. These tools allow your child’s work to be dictated orally and automatically translated to text.
  4. Use alternatives to written assignments. Until your student has stronger handwriting skills, consider using some of the interesting ideas below.
dysgraphia-alternatives-to-written-assignments-700x400

Once the pressure is off and your child is learning in other subject areas without pen and paper, it’s time to work on penmanship skills.

Check for Proper Handwriting Position

Since so many kids with dysgraphia have incorrect writing posture and pencil grip, it’s important to establish proper handwriting position before attempting to address specific penmanship concerns. The graphic below is a handy guide for evaluating your child’s handwriting position.

dysgraphia-handwritingposition-1200x540

Tackle Handwriting Remediation

Once you have checked and corrected your child’s posture and pencil grip, it’s time to actually put pencil to paper and start writing.

Please keep in mind that it’s important to allow your child to acquire writing skills at his own pace. Don’t get caught up in the comparison trap. Your child has a special need, so let him progress naturally and not at the pace recommended for his age, his grade level, or his curriculum.

Also, as you work to improve your child’s ability to write, continue to reduce the amount of writing that is required to complete his schoolwork. Allow learning to happen without pen and paper.

Try these tips to help make penmanship lessons more productive and enjoyable for you and your child.

  • If your child reverses letters, my free report on “How to Solve Letter Reversals” will be a huge help to you.
  • Use a research-based handwriting program. Handwriting Without Tears has been effective for many children with handwriting problems.
  • Provide short bursts of handwriting exercise instead of long, drawn-out sessions. Many kids with dysgraphia need to work on fine motor skills. Activities such as coloring, cutting, painting, model-building, working with clay, working pencil mazes, and threading beads will increase dexterity and build fine motor skills.
  • Schedule penmanship practice time for 5-10 minutes a day.
  • If your child can’t remember how to form letters consistently—writing them correctly at times, but incorrectly at other times—it could be a sign that he has problems with his working memory.
  • Work on correct letter formation by using multisensory methods and techniques that don’t require writing. Finger-writing in the air, in sand, in shaving cream, or on sandpaper are all great exercises that can encourage improvement in proper letter formation.
ig-teachingthroughspecialneeds

Dysgraphia Also Affects Reading and Spelling

For a child with dysgraphia, the very act of writing takes so much energy that it actually interferes with the process of learning, which can then negatively impact his ability to learn.

Because your child’s dysgraphia affects the way he learns to read and spell, it’s important to remove the handwriting barrier from both of these subject areas. All About Reading and All About Spelling are designed to do just that! In fact, both programs can be completed without requiring any handwriting at all.

Here are some features that will help your child learn more quickly:

  • AAR and AAS are multisensory. With a multisensory approach, children take in and interact with information in various ways. Learning happens through multiple senses, primarily through sight, sound, and touch (kinesthetic). The kinesthetic approach can be very helpful to a child who has expressive language struggles.
  • AAR and AAS are incremental and mastery-based. In both programs, students master one concept before moving on to a new concept. This helps reduce frustration and confusion and allows children to move at their own pace through the curriculum.
  • AAR and AAS use color-coded letter tiles. Working with the letter tiles can make the difference between understanding a concept and not understanding it. The letter tiles provide a kinesthetic method for practicing spelling words without the need for paper and pencil.
  • AAR and AAS have built-in review in every lesson. Children with learning difficulties benefit from lots of review. Customized review allows you to target the areas in which your child is struggling.
  • AAR and AAS are highly motivational. Both programs use a wide variety of fun, hands-on activities that minimize the need for writing. Short, engaging lessons and the ability to track their own progress keep kids motivated from the very first lesson.

But what do moms who are in the trenches with their struggling learners say about overcoming dysgraphia?

Some Hope and Encouragement for You

Helping a child who is struggling with dysgraphia takes patience. Change may not come quickly, but trust that it will come! And to encourage you during this process, I’d like to share a few success stories from our community.

Here’s Tanya’s story:

dysgraphia-letter-tiles-200x200

“My daughter has dysgraphia and she is thriving with AAS! We just finished level 4 (starting 4th grade). The tiles are great for spelling when writing is just too much.

I like that the lessons are at our own pace, and that she can master the material in a way that works best for her! Thanks!”

This is from Rebekah, another mom who is finding success with AAS:

“Although we haven’t pursued an official diagnosis, our eight-year-old son has all the characteristics of dysgraphia. The best thing we ever did was back off from writing for a while. He still struggles, but it’s getting easier. He loves his AAR, and we will be starting AAS soon. Things are finally clicking, and I am so thankful that spelling, reading, and writing no longer involve tears!”

And Sharon shared what a difference All About Spelling is making for her son:

dysgraphia-erasing-words-200x200

“My son used to feel defeated, but now he has so much more enthusiasm for reading since he doesn’t have to write. He doesn’t dread school when his hands don’t hurt and get tired. He also doesn’t waste erasers from erasing so often!

“He uses his magnetic letter tiles to build his words now, and he’ll often ask to handwrite the words he has built. The tiles help him tell his b, d, p, and q apart, which make writing and spelling easier. Being able to look at the letters while writing has helped his handwriting improve, too!”

The Bottom Line: Don’t Let Dysgraphia Rob Your Child

Handwriting may seem like a small part of education, but it affects your child’s ability to express ideas. It’s important to address dysgraphia, and to prevent it from stealing your child’s motivation, his joy of learning, and his self-esteem.

Starting today, you can help make learning easier for your child with dysgraphia by implementing three simple ideas.

  1. Compensation: Minimize the distractions and frustrations of the writing process by using alternatives to handwritten assignments.
  2. Evaluate: Establishing proper handwriting position is critical to handwriting success. Begin the process by checking your child’s handwriting position.
  3. Remediation: Work on improving your child’s penmanship skills by using the ideas in this post.

If you have any questions about your child’s dysgraphia and how it affects reading and spelling instruction, please feel free to call or email us. With All About Reading and All About Spelling, your child can continue to learn without frustration, and we’re here to help!

Does your child struggle with dysgraphia? What has helped? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Solve Letter Reversals

Photo credit: @teachingthroughspecialneeds via Instagram

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kidscastle

says:

This article provides a thorough and compassionate look at dysgraphia, which is so important for parents and educators to understand. I appreciate the practical tips and strategies offered to support children struggling with writing. The clear explanations make a complex topic accessible, helping to empower those working with kids who face these challenges. Thank you for shedding light on this often-overlooked learning difficulty.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Thank you!

simhakidsden

says:

Wow, this article about dysgraphia is incredibly helpful. It effectively breaks down the signs and provides practical tips. Definitely a must-read for parents and teachers.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Thank you! We appreciate hearing that our articles are helpful and practical.

Romina Mcpherson

says:

Let me know what type of content you’d like to see more of in the future!

Luna Ball

says:

Have any favorite blog posts or writers? Share them with us in the comments!

Gugu Nonhlanhla

says:

I have 2 kids and I think both of them have Dysgraphia. But they are not dyginose. How can I get help

Robin

says: Customer Service

Gugu,
Help for dysgraphia is usually given by occupational therapists. You can have your children evaluated by an occupational therapist, usually by referral from a pediatrician.

The tips in this blog post can help. Have you tried any?

Ms. B. Dsouza

says:

Hey,

My student is 7years old. The complaint the parent came to me with is that the child isn’t able to copy information from the board, hence she is unclear about what’s happening in the classroom. Its unfortunate that the class teacher isn’t willing to make any accommodations. This child has all the signs of dysgraphia and dyslexia. He also seems to have great difficulty in recalling the letters, especially lowercase letters. He isn’t phonics trained as he missed the basic training due to covid. He has a tripod grip, however applies too much pressure when writing, off course there’s all the other signs of dysgraphia too including a very bad siting posture.

The parents concern is, he can’t copywrite. However I am aware that there is a lot of work to be done before looking at the formal handwriting part of it.

Is it possible for you to guide me on what should I begin with? This parent has approached me for help!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Ms. B,
I recommend you ask the parents to get this student evaluated by an occupational therapist. It will be paid for by most insurances if they are referred by the child’s pediatrician. The issues with too much pressure with writing added with his bad sitting posture suggests he needs much more than just working on writing. Many people think of handwriting as a fine motor activity, but the gross motors (the trunk muscles that hold the body up so kids don’t lean on their arms as they write, the shoulder and arm muscles that control hand and arm movements, etc.) are just as essential. I cannot offer much in the way of helping him with his writing as the issues could be complex. An occupational therapist will be able to evaluate his needs and give direction for things to that can be done outside of therapy as well. However, I can recommend lots of large-muscle, outdoor-type of play daily, such as running, swinging, climbing, swimming. Such activities will strengthen his core, which will help.

Pauline

says:

My grandson is 4 year old . Writes with his fist. How do I help

Robin

says: Customer Service

Pauline,
Your grandson is young enough to learn a better grip and prepare him for writing.

First, surprisingly, it is important to give him only small things to write or color with. The large crayons and pencils marketed to preschoolers are too big and heavy for little hands and can actually encourage a poor grip to compensate. Give him regular crayons, but break them in half first so they are even shorter. Small things like this will not allow a fist grip. He will have to use just his thumb and first two or three fingers because of the size. If you give him a pencil, use a regular pencil that is just 3 or so inches long. You can buy “golf pencils” that are short like that, or you can just saw a regular pencil in half.

Make sure he has lots of opportunities daily for large-muscle play, things like running, jumping, climbing, swinging…anything that strengthens core muscles and gross motor muscles. These are incredibly important to handwriting. Many people think of handwriting as a fine motor activity, but the gross motors (the trunk muscles that hold the body up so kids don’t lean on their arms as they write, the shoulder and arm muscles that control arm movements, etc.) are really important too.

Mazes, dot-to-dot, coloring, Lego building, playing with toy cars, cutting, play dough, pasting, painting, and so on are good for reinforcing the fine-motor skills needed.

If you would like a curriculum to work on letter writing, I recommend Handwriting Without Tears’ Pre-K with all the add-ons (not just the workbook). Handwriting Without Tears was developed by an occupational therapist so it takes children’s developmental needs into consideration with all it teaches.

Christine

says:

My son is 14, he is verbally intelligent but refuses to write. He has tried using a laptop but he says he never knows what to write. If asked the question verbally he could answer, but if asked to write it in any way he says he can’t. He has his GCSEs next year and am at my wits end. He has had assessments from health professionals but nothing helps.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Christine,
I’m sorry to hear that your son is having such difficulties.

Can he write to copy something (no thought on his part needed) either by hand or typing? You can give him a paragraph or two to copy and see how he does. If he can do the physical act of writing or typing, then it is only the difficulty of not knowing how to move his thoughts into written word.

If that is the case, consider Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) Structure and Style for Students (SSS) program. IEW approaches outlining and then writing from outlines that is like nothing I’ve seen anywhere else. The approach took my son, when he was 14, from struggling to write even a short paragraph with help to writing an 8 paragraph essay and enjoying it!

If your son is unable to write or type a copy of a written paragraph, I don’t know what to say. In the US, he would be evaluated for a learning disability and a diagnosis would allow him to take exams orally, if that is what he needed. I’m unsure how things work for learning disabilities in the UK.

I hope this helps some. I’m sorry I don’t have much to offer.

Monica

says:

Hi i have an 8 year old son who hates to write. Hes so intelligent he reads so well. He knows his work but when it comes to putting it down on paper he writes very slowly so he doesn’t finish his school work. His teahers have being complaining about his writing and incomplete work. He just hates writing. Please help.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Monica,
I’m sorry your son is having such difficulties with writing. However, it probably goes far beyond his just hating to write. He is getting pressured by you, by his teachers, and by his peers to do what everyone else is doing. If he just didn’t like to write, he would do at least a minimally acceptable amount of work to relieve the pressure.

The learning disability dysgraphia has nothing to do with intelligence. In fact, it is diagnosed when a child’s writing ability is below what is expected based on his or her intelligence. Someone that has dysgraphia has to work much harder than everyone else to produce results that are far worse than everyone else. Then they are told, “Try harder,” or “Do better.” Can you image how disheartening that would be? You are already working as hard as you can and you are told it is not even close to good enough. It is no wonder these students stop trying at all.

It sounds like your son needs to be evaluated for dysgraphia and his teachers need to find ways to allow him to do his work without having to physical write. There are many suggestions in this article, such as answering orally or typing his answer. Then, he needs to receive therapy to help him overcome the dysgraphia so he can learn to write with ease in time. You can speak with your son’s doctor about being sent to an occupational therapist for testing and therapy.

I hope this helps some. Please let me know if you have additional questions.

Penneh Beatrice

says:

My 8 years boy don’t like writing in class, his teacher says his attention is always off, he has called him remind him to write, please help me out am frustrated.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Penneh,
I’m sorry to hear your boy is having such trouble with writing.

It may be that he needs more work with the beginning skills of writing. Can he write all the letters by themselves easily and quickly, without looking at an example, and without help? If he cannot write individual letters easily, writing class would be impossibly hard for him. If this is the case, he needs help learning how to write letters and that should be the focus of his writing until he can write them all easily and quickly from memory.

Or maybe he can write letters easily, but doesn’t know how to spell well enough to know how to write words. That would stop a child from writing. The “No Gaps” Approach to Spelling teaches children all they need to know to be successful with writing. All About Spelling has a gradual progression for building up a student’s stamina and fluency in writing, from words and short phrases in Level 1, to phrases and short sentences in Level 2, to 12 dictation sentences per step in Level 3. Partway through Level 3, the Writing Station activity is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words. In this way students have begun to use words in a more real-world context through dictation and writing, to help them transition to longer writing assignments.

Also, you may find our 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner article helpful, in addition to the very helpful tips in this blog post.

I hope this helps some, but please let me know if you have specific questions or concerns.

Helen

says:

Hi I have a student who I believe may be dysgraphic. The Ed. Psych. Has said she may ne dyslexic and perhaps she is both but if I ask her to write a spelling word she writes almost total rubbish BUT when I ask her to spell out loud and not write she is amazing! How can I help thos lovely young lady?

Robin

says: Customer Service

Helen,
How wonderful that you want to help this student!

First, it will be important, as described in this blog post, to separate the physical act of writing from other learning. That will mean oral tests, using typing, or other means of assessment than asking her to write.

Then, it is equally important to help her build her ability to write. If possible, occupational therapy is very helpful.

Our All About Spelling program can be very helpful in these sorts of situations because it has a very gradual progression to increase a student’s stamina and fluency in writing. Level 1 starts with just letters and phonograms, then words, and then two- or three-word phrases. Then Level 2 moves to two- to three-word phrases and short sentences, and Level 3 has longer sentences. Also, in Level 3, the Writing Station activity is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words. In this way students master written spelling bit by bit with the All About Spelling program.

Ridwana Hendricks

says:

I enjoyed these great tips on Dysgraphia. Everything was explained and made it so easy to understand. Lovely ideas and help for my 9 year old who us struggling.

Robin

says: Customer Service

I’m glad this was helpful, Ridwana! However, if you find you need additional ideas or help for your 9-year-old, let us know. We’re always happy to help!

Bethany Anderson

says:

Both my kids, I believe, have dysgraphia. Thanks for the info, this was very informative!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Bethany,
I’m happy that this article was informative for you and your kids! However, if you ever have more questions or need help, please let us know. We’re happy to help!

Angelita Earhart

says:

Everything you require to make your life easier and also much more incredible is included in this one extraordinary bundle!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Thank you, Angelita!

Brenda

says:

I’m going to try some of these recommendations with my son who was recently diagnosed with dysgraphia.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Brenda,
I hope you find these recommendations helpful for you son. However, if you need additional ideas or have questions, please let us know. We are happy to help!

Christy

says:

This is so interesting. I didn’t know there was an actual diagnosis.

Robin

says: Customer Service

I’m glad we could help you learn something new, Christy.

Priyanka

says:

My son is 9 years old. He is unable to write the correct spelling. If he knews then also he makes mistake, by using wrong alphabet. His writing is also not good. He does not enjoy studying. I am very tensed. Plz help

Robin

says: Customer Service

Priyanka,
I’m sorry to hear your son is struggling with being able to write and spell.

The first step to help would be to ensure he knows all the phonograms (letters and letter groups) and all the sounds they make. Our How to Teach Phonograms article will help you with that, and it includes free printables to help make learning more fun. He will also need to practice writing the phonograms. So, play some of the fun activities where you say the phonogram sound or sounds and he writes the phonogram on paper.

As he is working on learning the phonograms and their sounds, also work with him on being able to segment words into their individual sounds. Our Segmenting: A Critical Skill for Spelling article will help with that.

Lastly, consider using A “No Gaps” Approach to Spelling to help him achieve spelling and writing success!

I hope this helps some. Let me know if you have specific questions or concerns.

Esty

says:

Never heard of this before – so informative

Robin

says: Customer Service

I’m glad this was informative for you, Esty. Thank you.

Heidi

says:

Helpful information!

Robin

says: Customer Service

I’m glad this was helpful, Heidi!

Jennifer

says:

It is such a relief for me to see dysgraphia being addressed here. My son is 12 and has dysgraphia. I used to think that having him practice writing all the time was the way to help him. I also thought having him use speech to text and other adaptations would inhibit his ability to write. After having him tested and getting his dysgraphia diagnosis so much of what he has struggled with makes sense, and I now know that using the tools/adaptations we are so fortunate to have will make him a stronger writer. I am looking forward to introducing AAS to him as another tool to help him become a stronger writer.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Jennifer,
I’m glad this article was encouraging to you! All About Spelling’s gradual gradual progression for increasing the student’s stamina and fluency in writing will be very helpful for a student with dysgraphia! It moves from words and short phrases in Level 1, to phrases and short sentences in Level 2, to 12 dictation sentences per step in Level 3. Partway through Level 3, the Writing Station activity is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words. In this way students have begun to use words in a more real-world context through dictation and writing, to help them transition to longer writing assignments.

Let me know if you have questions or need anything. I’m happy to help!

Stella. GoodSuccess.NwaChukwu

says:

Wow! Great help! Now I know what to do and that we’re not alone in this challenge. Wow! Thank you really much!

Robin

says: Customer Service

I’m glad this was helpful, Stella!

Racheal Enchill Cudjoe

says:

A kindergarten one boy who can describe how a letter is written but cannot write it on his own. Thank you.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Racheal,
Interesting that the boy can describe how a letter is written but cannot physical right it. It may be worth considering having him evaluated by an occupational therapist.

April Belluck

says:

My son is going to be six in Aug & is starting kindergarten we waited a year because of age we didn’t went him to be the youngest in his class & also the problem with his writing, he is gong into a English , Spanish class in a very good public school we also had him tested ! Learning problems do rum in my family myself , mother , father and other family number! My Father & I both have college degrees! My husband does not have any learning problems at all my daughter is a middle of the road student! Who works very hard! Thank You I would like as much information as possible since we saw it so early in him! We had him tested already!

Robin

says: Customer Service

April,
It sounds like you are doing wonderfully assessing your son’s needs so early in his learning! Wonderful! I’m happy to help with any questions or concerns you may have.

Neetika

says:

Hi my son who is 9 years old find it difficult to write. In class work we can’t even read what he has written. His teacher is recommending OT but I feel he writes ok when motivated to and a few lines instead of big paragraphs in short time. I am planning to start handwriting classes and fine motor skills at home.

Caoimhe

says:

My son is 7 and is struggling with school work. Particularly he doesn’t have the patience to write, wants it done quick. He gets some letters and numbers back to front and finds maths challenging. His hand writing isn’t great and has poor pencil grip. He does however seem to have no bother with reading his school books. I have noticed he reads them from memory or the pictures. He calls himself dumb and that breaks my heart and says school works is stressful. I have addressed concerns with the teacher but I am worried may be dyslexic or have dysgraphia or possibly ADHD. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you

Robin

says: Customer Service

Caoimhe,
I’m so sorry to hear that your son is struggling and feeling so low about his abilities!

Can you start the process for getting your son evaluated for a learning disability? Does your school have the ability? In the US, a parent can request evaluation at any time, although it can require a request be in writing. However, from your use of the word “maths,” I suspect you are not in the US (here we say “math”). You would need to research how this is done for schools where you are. You may be able to request evaluation from your child’s doctor.

The tips in this blog post will help, and here is a Dyslexia Resources page that will be helpful as well.

Do you have specific questions I can help with?

Robin

says: Customer Service

Neetika,
If your son’s teacher is recommending occupational therapy for him, it may be best to consider it. One of my children needed OT for a while, and it was a great help, not only during the therapy sessions but more so because the therapist recommended things I could do between therapies to help her have the best progress.

Occupational therapy could help move your son from finding writing to be difficult to being able to write quickly and easily, without much effort. As he gets older, writing easily will be essential for school and even work. It is best to address such difficulties as soon as possible.

Christine

says:

My son, now 12 years old, is in speech therapy and we are on a waiting list to start OT. He’s autistic, adhd, speech is helping with his working memory and it’s helping, but when it comes to penmanship or any writings assignments it takes hours. We currently homeschool with Abeka and penmanship takes weeks for him to complete for each semester with many tears, and starting over, mistakes, can’t form letters right, or stay on a line right. They don’t offer any accommodations unfortunately for children with disabilities in their accredited program. (No one is perfect, that’s why God made erasers and white out!) My son is determined to complete what he started! I love his determination. This is his last 2 semesters of penmanship with them, so I pray they please understand how hard he is working, and that he is doing all of this with a disability!
Before homeschooling his public school wasn’t very helpful and he didn’t have the support there. He was bullied, picked on, staff over looked! I’ve got good therapist now, I’m home full time with him at his side helping. We just need to continue to get the right tools to succeed, never give up!
Any suggestions are welcomed.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Christine,
I am pleased to hear that you have your son working with a good therapist now. That should make the biggest difference.

I suggest, and you should speak with your therapist about it too, to separate the physical act of writing from all other learning for him. As suggested in this blog post, allow him to dictate answers to you, use speech-to-text applications, and so on. A lot of learning can be done very successfully orally.

Then work with him on handwriting where he is at. It sounds like he needs to spend some time each day learning the correct formation of letters. Instead of focusing on getting X amount of work done, rather set a timer and have him focus on doing his best for 10 minutes, or whatever length of time allows him to end before he grows tired or frustrated.

Once he is comfortable writing individual letters, consider working with him with All About Spelling. Your focus moving through it will be on the physical act of writing words, not spelling mastery. Students like him can usually spell much more complex words easily orally or with typing but struggle to write even simple words correctly. So starting with All About Spelling Level 1, he will work on writing individual letters, then simple words, then two and three-word phrases. Level 2 moves into writing short sentences, and each level starts adding more complex sentences.

I hope this helps some, but it does sound like you are on the right track already!

Lura

says:

I am so happy that dysgraphia is addressed here. I had severe dyagraphia as a left handed child. I could do many other things, like knit, type and sew. But writing was a huge struggle. Also, I had learned to read so quickly I skipped knowing phonics. Which also made spelling extremely hard until I learned the 72 phonograms. I wish I had AAS as a child.

I’m so happy to use AAS with my daughter. At age 5 she was a gifted reader and new her phonograms. But writing with a pencil at age 5 was a struggle. We were able to set aside penmanship for awhile as we learned to spell using the tiles app. She completed AAS with great enthusiasm and is now enjoying writing her letters separately to work on penmanship. She feels confident about her spelling because as recommended here, we separated penmanship from spelling.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Such a great point, Lura! Separating learning to spell well from the act of physically writing is so important for so many learners! Thank you for sharing. Your daughter is amazing considering her age!

Kwena Semono

says:

My child is 9 years boy.. He can’t copy what is written on board and speech is a problem can’t speak properly. Spelling test problem.. And maths.. You can’t even read what he is writing

Robin

says: Customer Service

Kwena,
I’m sorry to hear that your child is struggling with learning.

My first concern is that your child cannot copy what is written on the board. This is often a sign that a student has a vision problem and may need glasses. Not being able to see well could cause problems with writing and even math too. You may wish to have his eyes examined.

Difficulties with speech can lead to difficulties with spelling. When students are unable to pronounce words correctly, they often have trouble hearing the correct sounds that make up the word. He may need speech therapy first to address his difficulties.

I hope this helps some, but please let me know if you have specific questions or concerns.

Jane

says:

My Lillie one is 4 1/2 years now. Really slow in writing (he can write 1,2,4 but cannot write 3,5. Always writes half of the number or up side down or in wrong side (left instead of write).

When it comes to drawing, cannot draw looking at an object/picture. Always mixing up V instead of ^.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Jane,
What you have described is expected for a 4 and a half year old child. Many children that age cannot write any numbers or letters, and it is very uncommon for such a young child to be able to draw what they are looking at at.

Also, it is normal for children this age to write numbers and letters backward or even upside down. Before learning letters and numbers, directionality doesn’t matter. A child learns in his first year or two of life that a chair is a chair if it is facing left, right, or side ways. But when a child starts learning letters and numbers, they experience that the direction an object faces changes the object fundamentally. A 5 is five, but turn it the other way and it is not five. This goes against everything a child has learned before, and so it is no wonder that it can take many children quite a while to master forming letters and numbers in the correct direction.

Overall, it sounds like your little one is doing very well and is learning as we would expect for his age. He may be even a little advanced compared to other preschoolers. Keep up the great work! Provide gentle correction, and keep learning lighthearted and fun. He’ll master these things in time!

Jane

says:

Thank you so much for taking your time to replay me!

I’m in kenya. Here they teach kindergartners to read and write. May I know this:

1. Is there any common milestones in reading/writing/knowing sounds for 4 1/2 kid?

2. To what extent? Write- how many letters/words?, sounds- how many sounds and what are they?, count up to which stage?

Thank you so much!

Robin

says: Customer Service

Jane,
Here in the US, most Kindergarten classes teach beginning reading and writing as well. So, in preparation for that, most children are taught the names of the letters and to recognize them both as capitals and lowercase. Children this age are often taught the first sound of each letter too. They are also taught to count orally up to 20 or more.

As for writing, four and a half year old child would be expected to be able to write their first name. Most would be able to write it all in capital letters, but some may be able to write it with a capital first letter and then lowercase for the rest. Anything beyond that would be considered more advanced than average.

I think you will find this blog post How to Teach the Alphabet to Preschoolers helpful. And for learning letter sounds, our free Letter Sounds from A to Z app focuses on just the first sound of each letter. Our company focuses on teaching reading and spelling, so we don’t have any reasons for teaching numbers and counting. However, you will likely find a lot available online for teaching counting and numbers to preschoolers.

Irine

says:

Thanks slot I have a son in grade one who can’t write and when he writes he is very slow.

Robin

says: Customer Service

You’re welcome, Irine. I hope the tips in this blog post are helpful for your son. However, if you have additional questions or concerns, I’m happy to help.

Swely Kamadu

says:

Am a housewife but am education I did my A level n did my computer course…my son is 5 n he has childhood asthma….I understand he’s late in everything….I paid for private preprimary wen he was 3…at 4i send him to government preprimary…n both the teacher complained any him not talking…I asked Abt his writing skills n school activities…all were gud zey said n all his school works stayed in school…it’s on 9th January 1st day school for grade one zat I saw his preprimary school work…he could only trace letters …draw n paint. Now am teaching him how to write alphabet… he gets tired….he doesn’t leave space doesn’t know what’s capital n small letters… number r his enemy koz he gets difficult to write zem..1to 5unable to write…can anyone advise me…as a mother I will everyday continue to teach him alphabets n numbers 🔢 I want him to know how to write n count.

Robin

says: Customer Service

Swely,
Your child is still very young. It is common for 5 year old children to still have trouble with writing letters and such. It will be best to approach teaching him as a brand new learner. Work on capital letters first, introducing one at a time so he can master each letter before learning the next. Also, review all the letters he has learned regularly so he doesn’t forget what he has already learned while working on learning new letters.

Once he has learned all the capital letters, then do the same for the lowercase letters, teaching one at a time while still reviewing everything he had already learned. Also, as you teach lowercase letters, but sure he can match them with their capital letter.

We have a lot of resources on our blog for teaching letters to children. Check out Top 10 Activities for Letter Knowledge.

Selam

says:

My child is five years old she don’t have eating and writing in the class orally she is good