Remedial Instruction for Writing

Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing, which requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills. It can lead to problems with spelling, poor handwriting and putting thoughts on paper. People with dysgraphia might have trouble organizing letters, numbers and words on a line or page.

DysgraphiaVisual-spatial difficulties: trouble processing what

the eye sees.Language processing difficulty: trouble processing

and making sense of what the ear hears.

Dysgraphia can interfere with a student’s ability to express ideas.In the complexity of remembering where to put the pencil and how to form each letter, a dysgraphic student forgets what he or she meant to express.

A person with illegible handwriting has a combination of fine-motor difficulty, inability to visualize letters, and inability to remember the motor patterns of letter forms.

Characteristics of handwriting

Generally illegible writingLetter inconsistenciesMixture f upper/lower case letters or

print/cursive lettersIrregular letter sizes and shapes.Unfinished letters.Struggle to use writing as a communicative

tool.

cause of dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a biologically based disorder with genetic and brain bases. More specifically, it is a working memory problem. In dysgraphia, individuals fail to develop normal connections among different brain regions needed for writing. Dysgraphia is also in part due to underlying problems in orthographic coding, the orthographic loop, and graph motor output (the movements that result in writing) by one’s hands, fingers and executive functions involved in letter writing. The orthographic loop is when written words are stored in the mind’s eye, connected through sequential finger movement for motor output through the hand with feedback from the eye.Often children (and adults) with dysgraphia will become extremely frustrated with the task of writing (and spelling); younger children may cry, pout, or refuse to complete written assignments. This frustration can cause the child (or adult) a great deal of stress and can lead to stress-related illnesses. This can be a result of any symptom of dysgraphia

Treatment for dysgraphia?

Young children in kindergarten and grade one should learn to form letters correctly; kinesthetic memory is powerful and incorrect habits are very difficult to eradicate.

Kinesthetic writing, that is writing with eyes closed or averted, is a powerful reinforcer. Work needs always to begin with the formation of individual letters written in isolation. Alphabets need to be practiced daily, often for months.

Treatment for Dysgraphiaallowing a student to answer questions orally

or into a tape recorder instead of writing, modifying written assignments so that less writing is required, and allowing extended time to complete tests and assignments. Copying from the board is an especially difficult task. Teachers need to provide notes. Photocopying the notes of another student is one possibility. Providing an outline, with spaces left for the student to fill in information, is another. Writing on a slightly inclined plane may be helpful.

continued

Cursive writing has several advantages. It eliminates the necessity of picking up a pencil and deciding where to replace it after each letter. Each letter starts on the line, thus eliminating another potentially confusing decision for the writer. Cursive also has very few reversible letters, a typical source of trouble for people with dysgraphia. It eliminates word-spacing problems and gives words a flow and rhythm that enhances learning. For children who find it difficult to remember the motor patterns of letter forms, starting with cursive eliminates the traumatic transition from manuscript to cursive writing. Writers in cursive also have more opportunity to distinguish b, d, p, and q because the cursive letter formations for writing each of these letters is so different.

AREAS OF DIFFICULTIES/WRITING PROBLEMS

1.Difficulty in producing legible handwriting or spelling.

2.Difficulty in organizing and sequencing ideas. 

Difficulties in one area can delay skill development in the other areas, as practice of all writing skills may be impeded. Children often experience this disorder as thoughts that move faster than their hand can translate them into written ideas .

Student with written expression difficulties can find essential activities at school, such as note taking, to be insurmountable tasks. Note taking requires listening, comprehending, retaining information while continuing to process new information, and summarizing the important points into a useful format.

Problem: Sentence FragmentsExample: Going to the football game this afternoon.Solution: I am going to the football game this afternoon.

Problem: Run-on SentencesExample: I enjoy going to the movies first I have to finish my homework.Solution: I enjoy going to the movies, but first I have to finish my homework.

Problem: Lack of Subject-Verb AgreementExample: She drive every day.Solution: She drives every day.

Problem: Incorrect Noun PluralsExample: The berrys are ripe.Solution: The berries are ripe.

Problem: Incorrect Plural and Possessive NounsExample: The childrens’ toys were donated to a charity group.Solution: The children’s toys were donated to a charity group.

Problem: Wrong End PunctuationExample: Where are you.Solution: Where are you?

Problem: Not Forming Compound SentencesExample: It rained today. The weather report called for blue skies.Solution: It rained today, yet the weather report called for blue skies.

Problem: Sentence VarietyExample: Susan runs to school every morning. Susan talks to her friends before class. They don’t get to class on time. Their teacher gets angry.Solution: Susan runs to school every morning so she can talk to her friends before classes begin. However, when they don’t get to class on time, their teacher gets angry.

Problem: Paragraph FocusExample: I love computer games, model cars, and comic books. All are fun!Solution: I enjoy many different types of leisure activities. My friends and I have a great time playing the latest computer games with the most excitement and challenge. When I want to create something on my own, I build model cars and take pride in getting every detail just right. Yet nothing beats my comic book collection if I want to kick back and relax! With all of these things to do, I’m never bored.

Give positive feedback. When reviewing your student’s essays, give positive feedback along with talking about what needs improvement. Engage your student in the revision process by discussing the mechanics of writing without disapproval of their ideas. Students should understand that writing is a process and all writers revise their work. Remember, children need encouragement as much as correction. Also, speak in private to avoid possible embarrassment.

Give positive feedback. When reviewing your student’s essays, give positive feedback along with talking about what needs improvement. Engage your student in the revision process by discussing the mechanics of writing without disapproval of their ideas. Students should understand that writing is a process and all writers revise their work. Remember, children need encouragement as much as correction. Also, speak in private to avoid possible embarrassment

Encourage practice and revision. Suggest writing activities that relate to your child’s interests, such as writing for the school newspaper or a club website. The fact that their writing will be published provides an extra incentive to revise. Students should also practice interpreting writing prompts and completing timed essays in preparation for standardized tests.

Stress Reading: Good readers are good writers. If your child doesn’t read published essays, newspaper editorials, or other nonfiction, they won’t know what good essay writing sounds like. Of course, all reading will boost writing and vocabulary skills.

Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation

PROGRAMS