Please or to access all these features

SEN

Here you'll find advice from parents and teachers on special needs education.

Good reader poor handwriting and spelling

4 replies

Attictroll · 27/09/2023 08:43

Hello
Ds has just entered y7 and is loving secondary school but awful handwriting and spelling are raising their head again. They are about to do tests to stream and I am worried. He had a dyslexic assessment at primary but as he is a strong reader and mathematician it came back as ok. But there are many letters he totally reverses which means individual subject teachers can't read his work. We are beginning to introduce typing but really fear that unless the spelling issue is acknowledged he will like so many kids be put at the bottom of the pile. He got avg SAT except maths where greater depth.

I had the same issues and maybe this is making me worry more as I was assumed to be stupid because of my spelling and handwriting. I will still not read allowed in front of people in case their are new words and have found it easier to learn things off by heart that practice reading out loud if the situation arises.

Help or advice pls

OP posts:
OvertakenByLego · 27/09/2023 08:58

Have you spoken to the SENCO? Was it just a dyslexia screening tool that was used in primary? Being good at maths and reading doesn’t necessarily rule out dyslexia. A full ed psych assessment may help. What are DS’s fine and gross motor skills like?

Attictroll · 27/09/2023 21:31

Senco at primary did one test and it said no but issues in certain areas. We have just started with secondary and I'm pushing to meet that Senco asap. Lots of homework he does and can talk through and doesn't mentally struggle with but reading it back with spelling and handwriting is a disaster. We are trying typing but it's new to him so harder than his scrawl.

OP posts:
OvertakenByLego · 28/09/2023 09:29

The screener undertaken by the SENCO isn’t completely accurate, so don’t rule out dyslexia.

OhCrumbsWhereNow · 29/09/2023 10:33

Definitely focus on getting him touch typing. We used a programme called English Type Junior for DD (there's a Senior version as well) and she learned in about 2 weeks.

She has an iPad with keyboard case and an e-pen for school (better than a laptop as lighter weight and they can photograph the board or charts and then annotate with the pen).

Made a massive, massive difference as teachers can now read her work and she produces pages of content rather than 2 sentences.

I would also get a proper ed psych assessment if you can. The screening tools are not that great.

New posts on this thread. Refresh page