How old would you assume the child who wrote this was?

[AloyNoraWarrior]

My DS is 9 in Y4. He’s very upset as he said some children in his class have been laughing at his writing. I know he is behind because his school report last term said working towards expectations for every subject. But I’m thinking it must be bad if other children are noticing.

He does have ASD and we are waiting for an ADHD assessment. Last year I asked his teacher if could be assessed for dyslexia because he writes his name incorrectly, but they said they don’t assess children for dyslexia anymore.

I was just wondering how his writing compares to other children his age as I’m not sure what level it should be at. The photo represents his best effort. The second line of the poem is ‘when I am a pest’

I'd have that framed. It's lovely 😭😭😭

I hate that children are taught handwriting beyond making sure it’s legible obviously. Handwriting should be as unique as fingerprints.

This is lovely. Always keep it

The poem itself is absolutely lovely!

The writing is slightly better then my 6 year olds so maybe 7?

But everyone learns at their own pace. Best of luck to your son 💐

My son is 13 and has similar handwriting. He's dyslexic. Conversely, his ten year old brother has beautiful handwriting, he's always picked to do the 'display' stuff at school!

I agree with others, this is a class bully thing and the teacher should be taking a hard stance against it. Poor lad! As if it's actually an issue that his handwriting isn't great at this age. (I mean that in terms of, as an adult how much is he going to have to handwrite that might be hard to read, rather than learning spelling and grammar etc.)

Well it's better than mine and I'm 60 years older than him. Neat handwriting isn't a sign of some superior being, his poem is lovely and far more important than the handwriting. Handwriting is a dying art, everyone word processes don't they? Download a touch typing course, it will be more use to him in the long run.

but they said they don’t assess children for dyslexia anymore.

This is rubbish. My sister is a dyslexia specialist and assesses children in state schools all the time - in a rural area, not London. So either it is the school or local authority saying this. They sound spectaculrarly unhelpful. Not had time to RTFT but I am sure you have been given some great advice by others so I am wishing you all the best in your fight for your son.

Well that poem made me teary so he’s hitting the emotional part

re writing I’d try not to worry but his friends shouldn’t laugh

We're all agreed that the poem and the sentiment in it is lovely.

However, you asked about the writing itself so before I read the thread I thought it was written by a 5yr old.

I'd recommend improving his fine motor skills - things like picking up single grains of rice from one bowl and putting them to another.

Also for writing, perhaps get a few of these exercise copy books - www.whsmith.co.uk/products/whsmith-writing-practice-exercise-book/3194440825716.html and perhaps some of these:
www.whsmith.co.uk/products/stabilo-easy-start-right-handed-hb-pencils-pack-of-2/4006381398909.html so that he can be comfortable holding a pen/pencil for any length of time (it'll matter when it comes to writing in exams).
Here they are for left-handers:
www.whsmith.co.uk/products/stabilo-easy-start-left-handed-hb-pencils-pack-of-2/4006381398886.html

If he's writing with a pen, perhaps something like this might help with his grip so the letters flow a little easier (not saying that he has to be doing cursive script)
www.whsmith.co.uk/products/stabilo-easy-start-blue-right-handed-handwriting-pen-0-5-mm-nib-blue-ink/4006381468435.html
and if he is left handed:
www.whsmith.co.uk/products/stabilo-easy-start-blue-left-handed-handwriting-pen-05mm-nib-blue-ink/4006381468343.html

I too love the poem. Frame it and cherish it (and your son...well maybe don't frame him) 😆

I'd be thinking more dyspraxia/DCD to be honest (although I'm not an OT). You can SEE that the writing has been hard work and his hand must have been tense and aching at the end of that, plus the pen pressure is all over the place at the start of lines so his sense of how hard he's pressing on things could be out of whack as well (not the technical term!)

DD with a DCD diagnosis is in year 4 - her writing when she's not really concentrating is much worse than that - when she's focusing on it it's neater but that's cos she had a cow of a teacher who just yelled at her for the entirety of last year about being "messy" - so now there's no content there - just neatness and anxiety.

I would assume 4/5 but it's definitely not the child's fault! The school should've flagged up by now, that he was struggling with writing

I would be concerned about his ability to write. Not per se the errors. But the way he write things. That should be looked at id say.

@MarshaBradyo

Well that poem made me teary so he’s hitting the emotional part

This! I totally teared up reading this and it has most certainly made my day. What a lovely little boy. ❤️

My relative is in his 40’s has a PhD and was a university professor with many publications and his writing still looks similar to your son’s! He was diagnosed with ADHD as a teen. If you speak to the SENCO at school and they agree he has dysgraphia they can move him into typing on an iPad.

I have an 8yr old Yr3 Leftie and a 12yr old dyslexic...

My 8yr old leftie has probably progressed from this type of writing this school year only. And it was around Yr3 / Yr4 that my 12yr old dyslexic started to have problems and it took 4 further years for them to be taken seriously in school.

The answer on the dyslexia assessment is likely about funding and the 'standing' of an assessment on a 9yr old. The dont usually formally assess until year 6 because there is an issue with assessments 'running out' and being outdated. That said the SENDCO in school should be able to informally administer some of the testing tools to identify what his needs are. Dyslexia covers a broadbase of stuff so no 2 dyslexics are the same. Spelling and other issues - sentence structure etc can all come from being a slow writer and simply not keeping up in class so therefore not learning the topics as the class does (This is exactly where my DD is now with her English).

I would also query hypermobility and/or hand strength and look at some hand exercises which will help. Things like squishy balls or playdough or bread can exercise the hands. You can also look at different pens - for example stablio do a pen that looks like a wand - there are pencils too. School should also look at pencil grips.

You are going to have to fight school for your boy to get him the support he needs sadly as there is not enough funding for support to go around. If his handwriting is that slow then he should be offered the use of a computer or a scribe when there is alot of writing for example. Yes he needs to learn to write - that is a key primary school goal - but writing a birthday card, shopping list or a postcard is enough - he does not need to be able to physically write a 10 page essay if he can communicate it in other ways.

Things you can try from our experience:

• Going to the GP and asking for an Occupational Therapy assessment
• Using a slope to write on - try using a closed ring binder and see if that makes a difference - it might take the pressure off his hands
• Use lined paper to guide his writing - even if this is a strongly inked lined paper underneath the paper he wants to write on
• try finger exercises - playdough paperclips etc to strengthen his hands
• try the different pencil grips
• get him typing - if it turns out he is assessed for struggles in physically writing the earlier he can master a keyboard the better

I'd also report the bullies to the teacher - they may think its nothing but that kind of behaviour should absolutely be stamped out before it really affects your boys self esteme - it already has to a degree and thats not on. (Tell you boy that most GP's I know have appauling handwriting and it is seen as a sign of intelligence!)

I can write for hours on support for this kind of stuff - so I'll shut up - but do ask me questions if I can be of help OP!

@Marvellousmadness

I’m so glad irony is still alive.

Well that's a major flag for dyslexia. Spelling your own name wrong at age 9 is a definite cause for concern.

I also think 'upest' in his poem is supposed to be 'upset' rather than 'a pest'.

Definitely push for a dyslexia diagnosis...the school sound rubbish fobbing you off like that. If he's behind at school, he needs help NOW, before it starts seriously impacting on his confidence and future. So many kids are just written off as not being very academic when in fact they just need the appropriate support.

My ex was diagnosed with dyslexia around 8 or 9 and his grades in every subject really picked up after that. He went on to study Computer Science and is now a very successful app developer. It's certainly possibly to thrive with dyslexia or any kind of neurodiversity, but the support needs to be there.

I can't comment on dyslexia or dyspraxia but - What a beautiful, loving poem, @AloyNoraWarrior. What a kind heart your son has. 🌹

My brother has writing like that. Nothing wrong with him. He is 57.

Sorry, haven't read the full thread, only the OPs comments, but just wanted to say my son is 23 and his handwriting is only marginally better than that.

He was diagnosed with dyspraxia in his reception year and then dyslexia in year 2 if I remember correctly. I think the neatness of handwriting can be more due to the dyspraxia and lack of fine motor skills rather than the dyslexia itself, although obviously it doesn't help. The two conditions often come hand in hand I think.

If it reassures you, he got a first class honours degree a couple of years ago and has just completed his masters so it hasn't held him back at all. A formal diagnosis did mean he got awarded additional time in his exams though which really helped him as it took him longer to read the questions properly and then write out the answers. He also got help with a laptop at University.

It doesn’t matter, that poem is beautiful

Another possibility is dysgraphia. My eldest ds has dysgraphia and his writing can be very difficult to decipher unless he writes very slowly. He also has good gross motor skills. He played hurling at a high level and that involves catching a small, fast moving ball in the air and whacking it with a stick. It's a very fast game that involves excellent motor skills. Same with riding a bike, climbing etc. An educational psychologist or an occupational therapist can diagnose but we found the OT better, mainly because it was something she knew about as she has a son who also has it so she had done a lot of research.

Ds used to get a hard time from his teachers in primary until one of them said to me she started off at the beginning of the year giving out to him but quickly realised he was trying but was not able to do he. She arranged extra classes with a student teacher who was on placement and they stopped trying to get him to write in cursive. His hand writing didn't improve but at least no one was giving him a hard time over it.

His writing is still atrocious but once we got the diagnosis he was allowed to type for all state exams and in uni. He also got extra time in uni exams.

I would definitely recommend getting a diagnosis and see is he allowed type on the strength of that. Dysgraphia is not just about handwriting. It also affects their ability to structure work from a conceptual perspective as they are focusing on the physical activity of writing rather than the content.

The poem is lovely! His handwriting is legible, which is more important than being cursive in my opinion, and better than the handwriting of some senior pupils I've read...

Also, he may go into medicine!😀

The poem is lovely! His handwriting is legible, which is more important than being cursive in my opinion, and better than the handwriting of some senior pupils I've read...

@AloyNoraWarrior it choked me up.