Writing Difficulties

Rexcelyn V. Calma

Kim Seo Yeon

Dysgraphia is a learning disability resulting from the difficulty in expressing thoughts

in writing and graphing.

Feifer’s 4 subtypes of Dysgraphia

Phonological:Writing and spelling disturbances in which

the spelling of unfamiliar words, non-words,and phonetically irregular words are impaired.

These students tend to have trouble spelling by sounds and rely on the visual aspect of letters; therefore, becausespelling is an auditory task, they will have trouble with spelling tests.

Surface:

Students have trouble with orthographic representationsof words, which makes the student rely too heavily on sound patterns; the opposite of phonological dysgraphia.

Mixed:

Students having trouble with mixing up letter formations and having trouble with spelling tasks, a combination of the first twotypes. Recalling letter formations is hard forthese students to do because there are so many instructions or rules that they get confused and; therefore, have inconsistent spellingsof words.

Semantic/Syntactic:

Students have difficulty with how words can be joined to make complete and comprehensive phrases.

An example of a second grade student’s handwriting with dysgraphia.

A second grade student’s handwriting who does not have a disability.

What Teachers Should Know

Regardless of their reading ability, people with dysgraphia have difficulty writing, and may have problems with spelling, writing legibly, or putting their thoughts on paper.

Kids and teens with dysgraphia may have:

poor fine-motor skills visual-spacial difficulties language-processing deficits

Students with dysgraphia may:

• frequently misspell words or incorrectly place words on a page

• have an exceptionally slow and difficult time writing

• have an awkward pencil grip

• have messy or illegible handwriting

• have trouble taking notes or tests or completing their schoolwork

• avoid writing and become extremely frustrated with schoolwork

What Teachers Can Do

If you think a student might have dysgraphia, recommend seeking an educational evaluation to a parent or guardian, an administrator, or a school counselor.

• Writing is one of the most important keys to academic success. Give students with dysgraphia plenty of extra time to practice their writing skills. Teach them how to organize their thoughts and encourage them to edit and proofread their work.

If students continue to struggle with handwriting, try:

• using graph paper, wide-ruled paper, or paper with raised lines

• allowing students with dysgraphia to choose the writing utensils they are most comfortable with

• making sure the pencil is properly positioned, using a tripod grasp, which means the pencil should rest near the base of the thumb and be held in place with the thumb, index, and middle fingers (certain kinds of pencil grips can be helpful, too)

• modifying the writing utensil grip as needed• recommending occupational therapy to help

with writing skills

Additional accommodations may be necessary, including:

• giving more time to complete tests and written assignments

• allowing for oral and visual assessments of knowledge

• using assistive technology, such as word processing and note-taking software

First, don’t be afraid to make a mistake.

Do your best!

Determine to see a Mistake as . . .

• An opportunity to improve.

• A challenge to overcome.

• A reason to seek help or information

Mistakes . . . That writers commonly

make . . . can be corrected if you . . .

• Stop telling yourself you can’t write or that you’re a bad writer and . . .

• Start noticing the mistakes and

• Start working to correct them.

Every college writer should

invest

in a College Dictionary and A Pocket Style

Manual.

SSS

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Every college student should invest in a day planner. SSS