Child struggling to write

[Equimum]

Has anyone else’s child really struggled with learning to write, and if so, what has helped?

DS is 7 and in year 2. Overall he is bright and has had no trouble learning to read. He is reading chapter books and has good comprehension.

Writing, though, had proven far more difficult. It was flagged when he started school that he was struggling to hold his pencil. We increased fine motor skill activities, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. We have also encouraged lots of gross motor skill activities, and while he runs, balances and kicks balls okay, he struggles to catch and do things that involve a lot of co-ordination, like swimming and bike riding (although he has mastered the latter now).

His writing, though, continues to be problematic. He still struggles to control his pencil and his writing is very uneven. He also still reverses quite a few letters. This is now becoming more problematic as he can’t write at the speed expected in school, and he is becoming more reluctant to try. His teachers now feel he isn’t focusing and that he is needing extra support to get on with his work, which we think stems from his trouble writing. His teachers agree that he may have mild dyspraxia but are unable to offer any support for that and suggested we look into strategies to help him.

He has those rubber pen grip things, and we have tried to do some handwriting practice at home. School say there is nothing else they can do, and he needs to learn to focus and stay motivated. Has anyone found anything else to be helpful with a similar problem?

TIA

If he has a SpLD that impact motor skills and focus, then telling him to 'try harder' is a bit like telling a blind personto 'try harder' to read a normal book.

DD1 has dyspraxia, DD2 has various other difficulties.

Yes practice, but not to excess. We used spelling practice as handwriting practice, including drawing lines to write on (amazing how hard DD1 found it to position a ruler straight and hold it firmly to draw a line).

Try out loads of different pens/pencils. DD1 like the fatter triangular pencils, and then the stabilo easy pens (available left and right handed).

With DD1's dyspraxia, it wasn't just the act of writing, it was thinking what to say. This was helped by decoupling the two. She dictated to me (or to a voice recorder thing a few times at school, this could have been used more and earlier I think). Then I dictated back to her and she wrote it down.

For DD2 now one of the adjustments she has is that sometimes they give her printed sheets rather than her having to copy from the board.

I would keep going with the handwriting, as typing everything can be a real pain, especially for maths & science. But also work behind the scenes on typing, eg BBC website used to have a child-friendly learn to type part. Occasionally allow h/w to be typed, and build up fluency and speed. DD1 typed half her GCSEs. DD2 has never got on with typing so writes everything, but struggles with longer exams (and her English Lit ones will be just under 3hours long).

Thanks Teenplustwenties. He doesn’t have a diagnosis of a SpLD and school have said that they don’t have the resources to put him forward for an assessment/ they don’t think it’s worth it. It’s just so frustrating, because he is so bright, and when he can type, he writes extended pieces without difficulty. School are not open to him typing though.

I’ll look at some different pencils etc, though, and see what else we can find.

The things that have helped DS who had similar issues are:

• Sloped writing surface.
• Work on core strength (weekly yoga and wobble cushion)
• Handwriting club organised by school

We provided all the equipment to school (sloped surface and cushion), not very expensive on amazon and just saved the hassle.

I also think DS's swimming has helped him as it has strengthened his body overall.

DD sounds similar. She has very mild cerebral palsy which physically is similar to what you describe - slow, messy writing/fine motor and trouble with the trickier gross motor stuff.

DD does enjoy writing at home and will often write little bits and pieces for fun and I think that helps her a lot in school. I would consider anything that might help your DS enjoy writing. For example we recently got the DCs LCD writing tablets, about £15, they love them and it has definitely encouraged them both to write and draw for fun. More cheaply we also have invisible ink pens, maze books, scratch paper, making fortune tellers - anything that encourages holding a pen/pencil and controlling it - make it a fun thing, not a “you need to practice because you’re behind” type thing.

I need to get her into learning to type...

My DS2, when he was that age consistently reversed letters and numbers, and struggled to write legibly. In fact, in year 5 now he is very slow indeed at writing legibly and I still catch him on the odd occasion getting letter formation the wrong way round. He has no additional learning needs and is at least average in reading and maths if not a little above. He is left handed. I'm afraid I've done nothing other than correct him when I see it. So personally I wouldn't be too concerned but I am in no way an expert.

Sorry I think I did not answer your question just another one that I completely made up!

DD1 didn't actually get a dyspraxia diagnosis until y11 (yes GCSE year). We made it all up as we went along as her difficulties were underplayed by primary and generally put down to other factors.

As he goes up the school they might become more willing to have him type, switching in y2 would be quite early I think.

Don't despair. Friends son started slipping in English due to dyspraxia. When the right adjustments were made (including typing before end of primary) he started showing his true ability again. Ended up with 9s in both Eng Lang & Eng Lit GCSE.

Have a look at squiggle while you wiggle. I've attached a link to one of the videos.

It's nuts and silly but great fun and I've had some real success working with boys especially who are writing delayed.

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=%23&ved=2ahUKEwj7pNOcne_mAhXGTcAKHRpQD8oQwqsBMAB6BAgJEAQ&usg=AOvVaw0VTJzWxrN8ZFOD4xbU2nov&cshid=1578322468178

Helps if I put the attachment!

If you can afford it find a private occupational therapist. They can do a handwriting assessment and check for underlying issues. School/NHS should do this, but even if you persuade them to refer theres no garentees youll actually see a therapist. They can also recommend typing etc if appropriate.

Perhaps try lots of related activities at home that are not writing itself, eg colouring, tracing, making patterns, drawing small things.

My DS is in yr7 and has absolutely appalling handwriting. He is now so behind that it’s not worth persevering with handwriting. DS needs to focus on typing - which he’s also slow at despite his primary school telling me he was really good.

Can you afford an OT assessment? They will give appropriate exercise to help with both fine and gross motor skills.

Thanks everyone. I have spoken to our GP surgery today and made an appointment to see whether they think it is worth referring DS for an assessment.

Yes, a price OT appointment might be possible. Once we have spoken to our GP, I will pursue that.

minormiracle I will look up the sloped writing surface - definitely worth a go.

Minipie, I will look at fun ways of using pens (I think I recognise you from an antenatal group on here - Dec ‘12?).

Glebrhebattle, that looks great fun - we’ll give it a try.

Ds has terrible handwriting, all through primary school we were being told that he "just needs to concentrate more" or "he needs to practice more and focus on it" despite being aware of his hypermobility (diagnosed by OT) they refused to allow him to learn to type even though it was written into his statement of SEN. When he went into a specialist school things improved slightly, he still mixed up letters, he still used capital letters in the middle of words, it was still slow and painful to write but he did manage to reduce the size of his writing and did manage to write between the lines (even though half of the letters were floating)

He is now at college and his handwriting is still atrocious although legible.

In many places you can self refer to OT/Physio, just google your NHS trust + children's therapy (my sister did this a few months ago and her Ds was seen by the OT in December)

We did a lot of hand gym, used theraputty and stress balls, strengthened core muscles, tried different pens or pencils with different pencil grips, activities that improved eye - hand coordination as well as activities that improved pincer grip.

i expect the school has some sloped writing desks that they can try out to see if it helps. other things to consider, is if his hand frip is generally not as strong as it could be, its then hard to write. so consider doing things to strengthen the hands, like lying on a bench and pulling himself along with his hands only, climbing frames, monkey bars, giving him some blue tac to twiddle will aid his consentration in the class whilst working his fingers with the added bonus of not distracting the teacher or others. those mini keyring koosh balls are good for fiddling with and can attach to his zip. i would push for a ot assesment, or look up some ideas. how is he cutting his food? we ended up getting ds some carers cutlery which has helped. start getting him to touch type, as my ds is now in secondary and allowed to produce work on a laptop and has a scribe for assesments etc.

hand grip not frip!

I'd strongly recommend occupational therapy (a good paediatric physio is essential) & learning to touch type is highly recommended. Push the school - have the teachers ANY experience of dyspraxia? Speak to the local education department. This book gives useful pointers for supporting learners. The Dyscovery Centre (Cardiff) is the only dedicated clinic I could find.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dyspraxic-Learner-Strategies-Success/dp/1849055947/ref=ascdff_1849055947/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=310848077451&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18285614409320378563&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=m&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9046616&hvtargid=pla-494563409278&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

Where are you based Equimum? Only asking as it might make it easier for you to connect with someone in your area.

Following with interest as at school it was suggested I was dyspraxic but nothing was done (1980s/90s, private school).
My reception child has a very weak core and very poor pencil control although the school haven't said anything her, these tips are really helpful, thank you

Thanks everyone.

We are in West Sussex. I have looked up self referrals, but it appears to only be possible if you have been seen previously (which we haven’t).

I’ll try to look at activities that exercise hands. We have done lots of dough gym, and he cannot do monkey bars etc due to dislocating elbows, but I’m sure there are plenty of things we can do.

Kit, when we spoke tho his teachers they said we would have to sort our own support out as the school can’t offer anything. Unfortunately, he is at a small rural school which is diabolical for helping children with additional needs. We know if at least six children who have moved school or moved to home schooling over the past 18 months, just because their needs aren’t being supported.

Hi again Equimum- who has told you that you can't self-refer? A very quick search came up with this

starjumpz.com/about-us/our-team/

Much much more comprehensive than anything I've ever found in my area (major city) in 10 years of looking.

Just to be clear they offer a free phone consultation and direct appointments.
Make a list of all your DCs issues before you speak to them. Dyspraxia can be diffuse so apart from writing problems, poor muscle tone can impact on balance and posture; sensory issues (hearing, touch) can mean your child is uncomfortable/ finds it hard to concentrate in a noisy classroom (sitting position is key); some clothes/fabrics can be irritating and contribute to distraction; inability to prioritise/process multiple instructions - instructors ( you/ teachers) need to adjust how you ask them to do things); team games at school can be an issue -we found that sports like archery & fencing were far more inclusive at all ability levels, considered cool by the sporty kids at school & are great for co-ordination, core strength & concentration. More importantly DC has regained confidence and a sense of self- worth knocked out by the 'sporty/popular' group at (former) school.
Finding a practitioner who understood the issues and could articulate them (especially to school) was a godsend.
It's tough but you'll get there 🍷

Just to finish, developmental coordination disorder (dyspraxia) resources I've found helpful

dyscovery.southwales.ac.uk/resources/useful-websites/

www.dyspraxiauk.com/dyspraxiafoundation.php

dyspraxiafoundation.org.uk

Yes but slightly different in that DS is 5, and still swaps to his left hand when he’s tired. I think he’s not quite worked it out yet and used both hands for a lot of tasks.

He’s also young for his year. He finds writing tiring.

Thanks *Kit30I, that’s all really helpful. I had looked at the local NhS site, which states the need for an initial referral, but I will have a more in-depth look at Starjumpz - more than willing to pay if we can get some input and help build our son’s confidence back up.

It’s interesting what you say about fencing and archery. DS wanted to do the local cricket club last summer and it was so demoralising for him - he just couldn’t catch, throw or hit the ball. He now has private horse riding lessons (he struggled in a group) and he’s really enjoying that. His teacher is very patient, and was also someone who suggested he may have a co-ordination difficulty. He’s also swimming, but he’s had four years of lessons and still can’t swim a width!