Handwriting in Year 2

[Alohamo]

My DS is in Year 2 and I am trying to understand whether his writing is on the low scale of normal for his age group or whether there is more of a problem e.g. dyslexia.

As a younger child DS showed no interest in drawing or colouring and from what I understand spent more of reception playing (plus at home for spring term due to school being closed and homeschooling was a disaster). School flagged that his writing was below expected level at the end of Yr R and said he would catch up.

Year 1 saw DS struggle hugely with school (trying to run away from the classroom saying he hated it etc) as he found the shift from play based learning really difficult. We tried not to push the writing as it was making him so upset and focused on reading together at home, going for days out etc.

Mid way through the year we finally got a chance to see his school books (previously not allowed due to Covid) and frankly his writing was illegible - I couldn't read a single word. I asked if the SENCO could have a look which took 2 months as her workload was so high. She suggested a pencil grip and sloped board but the school had no budget for these so we bought them ourselves and sent them in with him. All of these have now been lost and DS isn't using them. At home we stepped up the writing practise and have a lovely lady come to do some work with him once a week which he loves and I have seen some improvement in his writing which I put down to this support entirely.

Unfortunately I just see him getting more and more frustrated with writing and falling behind his class. There have been a few instances other than the writing which I've had to speak to the teacher about (a Year 6 recording him on their phone at lunchtime, general fighting between the boys in his Year etc) so I havent raised the writing again.

Do I need to push for more help in school? What can they realistically do? There is a class TA but she is supporting others in the class who have significantly more needs than DS. Is this typical writing for boys? DH thinks we should consider moving him to private school but I'm not sure he would get in due to his writing. Thanks and apologies this was long.

Your DH might have a good point thinking that private school would be better for your DS. They don’t all judge children on academic ability just because they’re private so if you can afford it and can find a school nearby that would be supportive it’s worth a look.

The fact that your current school have lost writing aids that you’ve provided to support your son is unacceptable. You should be able to push the school for more support, but as you say, realistically they may not be capable of providing it as school resources are so stretched right now. It would concern me that in a Y2 class there seems to be so much fighting, as well as there being a number of children who need more help than your ds. You can Google examples of writing that would show you what is expected standard in year 1 and 2 and I would say your sons writing is a concern, but if he’s responding well to tutoring where he’s getting the right help then he has potential and better learning environment could make all the difference.

I'd agree OP. The thing that stood out to me from your post is how much he loves working one to one with the lady who comes once a week. Depending on your private school option - class sizes / how they deal with mixed ability classes - that could be the answer.

I would be concerned with that writing in my year 2 class. It is below age related expectations for year 1.

A pencil grip isn't going to be a huge amount of help unless he is also working on his gross motor skills and fine motor skills. What sorts if things does he like playing at home?

Thanks all for your messages and for confirming what I already thought. It's parent's evening in a couple of weeks so I will bring up handwriting support again and ask what they are going to do to support but realistically it will come down to us as from everything I've seen the school simply do not have the resources to support DS.

Before going down the private route, DH and I are going to carve some time out at weekends to do 1:1 handwriting practise with focus on letter formation as I think this was completely missed with Covid in reception. We've done this previously but DS hated it and we had tantrums, crying etc but now I think its a must do.

@Pinkflipflop85 he likes imaginative play so Playmobil, Pokemon and lego (although more making up stories with the minifigs than building the sets). He does have a Nintendo Switch which we keep to weekends only and I think I may start using this as a bribe to do some handwriting practise without going batshit as he has done previously.

My daughter wrote like that in year 1 and 2. We have done lots at home and it's a little better in year 3 but still lagging behind others.
School are not flagging anything up because once they do it costs them money! I'm concerned

DS had awful handwriting, and still does. It was just the presentation though, so not dyslexia or an underlying academic issue - the content was good. It’s probably important to narrow that down. He also hated drawing and loved playmobil (I highly recommend the playmobil hotel and funpark in Germany!). He did handwriting classes and managed to get it legible but still pretty bad and we didn’t have a single parents evening without it being mentioned. At 18 he was diagnosed with hyper mobility in his hands which finally explained it. He ended up getting all As including an A* in his English lit (i.e. heavy on the writing) so it had no bearing on his eventual outcome! He’s at Uni now and thankfully it’s typed all the way. Of course this is just one outcome but just wanted you to know there is hope!

Don't jump straight to handwriting practice.
Play lots of fine motor games/activities. Make things with playdough, encourage him to build with his lego, get cottin buds and use then to paint dotty pictures, thread beads/pasta onto string or pipe cleaners etc.

I wouldn’t be waiting any longer. Even if it’s not to a private school I would very seriously consider moving him. His school have lost the equipment you have bought and are not concerned by his standard of handwriting - 2 big red flags.

Do it now, don’t wait any longer.

Please don't delay but you need to get an assessment to rule out Dyspraxia/DCD.

If it is the case then no amount of handwriting practice will close the gap between him and his peers. When he focuses on handwriting the quality of his work will suffer. Plus his peers will only get better so the goal post will keep shifting. He will benefit from learning to touch type in the long run and will be allowed to use a laptop for written work, plus be given extra time etc for exams as he gets older.

OT sessions are good and handwriting practice is the first port of call but in my experience, this only helps those who are physically delayed and will eventually catch up. DCD/Dyspraxia is not a delay in coordination and should not be treated as such. Children with dyspraxia are usually highly intelligent but struggle to convey or demonstrate their knowledge efficiently on paper. It's painful to watch them write.

What is your DS like with sports/gross motor skills and motor planning? Does he struggle to play team sports/football?

It can make school life really miserable for children, it really affects friendships. Touch typing will help remove one of the key challenges for him as he gets older. DS has been doing a touch typing by programme since year2 and has gained enough speed to use a laptop for the work he now does in year 5. He is much happier at school.