Dysgraphia - now making dd write with her 'other hand'?

[ClearBlueWater]

Dd is Dysgraphic (and dyslexic, dyspraxic, dyscalculic, asd traits).

Specialist teacher recently said she should 'not do handwriting - even notes must be done on the pc'. Not yet sure if this is a good thing or not?

So, now she fractures her right wrist (she is right handed) - she is now being made to write with her left hand.

She's 11, but still at primary.

Phew, I thought you'd gone back to the victorian era for a moment there.

Is the specialist teacher outside school? Have you had a conversation with school about making arrangements for her to type generally? Though clearly the injury makes it more urgent. Does she have a laptop at home you could offer to send in until they get sorted?

oh, sorry, didn't mean to be misleading.

Yy, specialist teacher is LA.
They wont let me send in a laptop.

It's stupid anyway as we were told she wouldn't have spelling tests - guess what, she's just had to copy out 20 spellings with her left hand (when she cant write ordinarily with her right). How bloody humiliating!

And, she is 'supposed to do all her work on a pc' only there is only 3 for the class of 30 (so there has been lots of resentment and bullying) and they've not given her any sort of touch typing course...

Oh that's horrid :( Can you go in and talk to them again, maybe head if the teacher is not being helpful? I'd be wanting some reassurance on the bullying/resentment being dealt with too, but surely everyone would be happier if she could use a laptop so she could work at her table with the rest rather than hogging the class PC?

I don't know about the specific issues with writing/typing, hopefully some experts will be along soon - but you'd think if the specialist teacher says it it's at least worth a try.

I would be escalating to head / governors to let you provide a laptop / inexpensive 'notebook'.

She needs to get used to this so it is easy for her at Secondary.

I know she is y6 but this is something I would consider a school move for.

(ps When her hand is better there are touch typing things online if you search for them).

In the long term I would be thanking the school for ignoring the "specialist teacher" regarding the use of a PC, but in the short term until her wrist heals the school should be looking at alternative solutions.

Should probably add that the physical act of writing, while difficult for her is beneficial for children with dyslexia/dyscalcula

I see what Mrz is getting at, but I only partially agree (though I accept that probably means I'm wrong ).

My DD1 struggled for years to get her ideas down on paper. We were very keen that she learned to write properly by hand and really pushed it. At the start of y10 it became clear she was being disadvantaged by the sheer amount of brain usage trying to write required, leaving little left over for actual content so she started using a laptop for some lessons, controlled assessments, and for some exams. In y11 we finally got a dyspraxia diagnosis for her. Her motor skills are generally poor, but because we had put so much emphasis on handwriting, her actual legibility is OK, and for shorter writing exams she was fine to write by hand.

I have a friend with a very intelligent son (destined for Oxbridge I should think) who got really downhearted in primary because he couldn't get his ideas down on paper. Once in y5/6 he had regular use of a laptop he shot up, finishing with I think level 6s across the board. His parents do a lot with him out of classes to help his dyspraxia, however his handwriting is pretty much illegible.

So I guess I'm saying I think there are benefits to dysxxxxx by encouraging keeping going on handwriting, but if self esteem and general progress are being damaged by not permitting use of a laptop, then I think it should be reconsidered.

Expert advice is to work on handwriting from all angles depending on the exact nature of difficulties ( dysgraphia being one of those umbrella terms which is pretty meaningless without specific diagnosis) rather than "handicap" the child.