Writing difficulties - secondary school

[SophiaWinters]

My son was diagnosed on the autistic spectrum (ASD) a few years ago whilst in primary school. His symptoms are very mild so we don't experience too many problems or difficulties. He has settled into secondary school very well but the most problematic issue with him right now is his hand writing. He finds it difficult to write a lot without his hand becoming tired, he can manage small amounts of writing but I think as he's trying so hard to keep it neat so that it is legible it puts a strain on his muscles. The doctor who diagnosed him in primary school has suggested that he possibly has hypermobility which could be contributing to his difficulty with handwriting.

His secondary school has made some concessions for example in some tests he does not need to write out the questions plus the answers, he is given a sheet with the questions already typed, and he is given an extra 15 minutes to complete the test although he says he seldomly needs to use it (I guess with not writing out the questions he has a time advantage already). I was reading through his exercise books today and noticed a few times now that the teacher commented that he has not written enough and needs to get more down on the page or that his work is incomplete. I asked my son why he thought not enough had been written or why the work hadn't been finished and he said it's because he is a slow writer.

We have tried all the writing practice, holding the pen properly, doing hand exercises with squishy balls etc. We were given some written information by the occupational therapist when he finished at primary school but this doesn't seem to be helping much. My son can type quite well and fairly fast. Is it reasonable for me to explore the possibility of him using a laptop at school for his written work? I asked him about how he'd feel about using a laptop and he said some of the boys do use them but they are because of special needs and I'm not sure what those special needs are - could be dyslexia maybe but I'm not sure. He didn't mind the idea of using a laptop but did raise concerns about the possibility of it being damaged, they have a problem at school with boys breaking other people's posessions.

If anyone else has a secondary aged son who finds writing difficult could you let me know what options there might be to consider.

If the volume of written work is becoming an issue for him, then I think you and school have to consider alternative means of him producing written work.
It's common for children on the spectrum to have low muscle tone/ hypermobility.

Laptop is one option, using voice recognition software. This one is commonly used for kids with these issues.
With the proliferation of tablets/i-pads and the complexity of apps, its possible that this might be a better option for him (lighter, easier to use in school, can sync with PC at home.) Something like this.

Where I am, it is common for children to be assessed for handwriting speeds by an OT and for them to make recommendations to home/school for the child to have allowances made including in exams.

My ds is 10, has AS and has similar problems with writing. He currently gets extra time on tests and assessments, has to write for maths and shorter pieces (such as labelling diagrams etc) but has access to an alphasmart for longer written tasks.

We are currently going through the statementing process for him and his statement says he should be provided with a laptop 'to remove the barriers to learning caused by his fine motor difficulties'.

DS is 11 and just about to go to High school. He has hypermobility and poor muscle tone and it is difficult for him to write a lot and his hands get tired quickly. We have tried all of the following which help somewhat
A writing slope ( foolscap folder turned sideways)
A pen with a built in grip such as this. They come in various colours.
hand exercises daily.
Arm and shoulder exercises for shoulder hypermobility made a big difference.
Constant checking of posture when writing.

All of the above have helped but he still gets tired quickly and HS are looking at using a laptop/ alphasmart type thing - we are going to see how it is first in Sept.

My DS2 with ASD used to use an Alphasmart Neo word processor at primary school for very similar reasons, namely his writing was very slow. He was very reluctant to write, seeing it as a chore, but happier to type. As it was normal classroom practice he was allowed to use it in exams, eg Y6 SATs. He also gets extra time. Now he is in secondary school he doesn't want to stand out and has reverted to handwriting again, with the disadvantage that he often doesn't get enough work written down. His annual review is next week so I shall be bringing the issue up.

The school do have laptops which can be used within school, but not taken home so work has to be transferred to a memory stick. My DS isn't organised enough to do this, though. I would prefer it if he had his own laptop or netbook.

Your DS's school shoud be open to the idea of using a laptop, especially considering your DS's hypermobility problems. I'd definitely bring it up.

Thank you for the replies. I will get in touch with his school's senco and discuss some of those options further :)