I relate to this dilemma so well as my son was the same. Is it possible to have the teacher or assistant scribe his tests for him? does he have an IEP? If so, does it make comment that he needs assistance with written tests?? It would be in his interest to have this included in the IEP for future help in school as well. He does need to learn to write himself, however if some of the pressure was off him, he may come through. How about a larger pencil (carpenter pencil or an attachment on the pencil for easier grip).

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I am having this problem myself. My son has an IQ of 130, but writes on an "entering second grade" level, even though he is at the end of his 3rd grade year. The school feels his grades are too high to warrant LD testing and the teacher is adamant that "he could do it if he WANTED to, he just CHOOSES not to". I have no solutions but want you to know there is another mom out there who truly feels your pain.

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A bit of insomnia tonight, so I thought I would do something useful. I'm an Occupational Therapist working in the education setting (often addressing handwriting issues). I'm also an adult with ADHD and can understand how difficult writing can be. Organization and following through with written work is still difficult for me, but there are excellent tools out there to help with writing. I would seek out an assessment to rule out a specific learning disability in written language first. But, a Neo by Alphasmart is a great tool. It's a portable keyboard with eight files to organize your work. It runs on AA batteries and is compatible with both Mac and PC formats. Keyboarding is so much more functional for kids with written language difficulty and this is a tool that can follow them through high school and into college. I would try to stay away from having an adult provide in-class support if possible. Another option is voice recognition software (you talk, it types). I use Dragon Naturally Speaking 8. It would be most appropriate at home or in a resource room setting. In the last few years, the technology has finally become very functional.

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In an attempt to make writing assignments more interesting in our house, my sons used the computer to complete their work. My oldest son would never complete the in class journal of 3 sentences when he was in 1st grade. He would do the entry at home on the computer. In the 4th grade he would email spelling assignments to his teacher on a daily basis. Not only was he improving his computer skills he was connecting with a teacher that would have overlooked him (the teacher actually told me he forgot that my son was in class because he was so quiet. That was his 1st and only year at our school as a teacher).

Writing is a very difficult task for both of my sons as they both exhibit dysgraphia which is a common characteristic of ADD. Any way that we can come up with to overcome the tedious and agonizing task of writing is worth a try.

Soon every thing will be computerized so the ability to keyboard will weigh in pretty heavily in our children's futures.

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I, too have an eight year-old, almost completing second grade. Spacing and formation of letters is a problem for him. O/T consultation is all he gets, but, for your ADD child (my child has agenesis of the corpus callosum, a structural defect of the brain, in which the linking part between the left and right hemispheres is missing, so it is expected he would have this trouble), O/T, with an emphasis in DSI, which was called SID (sensory integration dysfunction) assessment and treatment, may be the answer.

Stimulating his base senses (proprioceptive, tactile, and vestibular), will impact his mental state, as well as his fine motor control. It will also increase his mental compacity to concentrate. While ADD is a biochemical disorder, and my child is on meds for ADD, hoping this will help his behavior, what has helped him the most is sensory integration treatment. It, of course, is not provided by the school.

However, in early intervention and outside school, it helped him tremendously. You may also want your child to have a sit and stay cushion on his chair, or at night, to stand up and write, all are sensory-based techniques. Using a squishy-ball in the other hand, which is not doing the writing, or using raised tablet paper, may also help. I have other suggestions, but Carol Kranowitz has ideas in her books, or you may want to visit sensory international's website. I am also (trying) to write a book about the optimal benefits of early (infancy) exposure to sensory integration methods. Those are my two cents.

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Does your child have dysgraphia? You need to have the school sit down with you and write out a 504 plan that will allow your son to use technology such as a computer, tape recorder, etc. and also have a scribe when needed. Dysgraphia is something that a lot of children with ADD have. I have noticed it with my nephew also.

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Forgot to add that my son spent many years trying to write and he was just unable to write legible, if he didn't write about 1 sentence every 15 to 20 minutes. He is 15 years old now and it will never get better. He will have to use technology to help him. This isn't all bad, since it is the wave of the future.

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In reading through some of the posts, I believe that you can put in writing that you want your child tested and they have to within 30 days no matter what they think. A good resource for information about the law is www.wrightslaw.com and their book Emotions to Advocacy. It is great.

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You can make a request for testing and they do have to respond in a certain number of days, which can vary by state but there response does not have to be testing, depending on the state. But since he does have a dx of ADHD he can be on a 504 which is a civil rights act and includes accomodations. Definately look into your rights for both testing and a 504 plan.

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With a 504 Plan, your son can have ANY accomodation that will help him be successful in the classroom. Assignments can be shortened, or you can be a partner in deciding when your student has had enough homework for the evening. You will then have some control over the level of stress each night created by the HOMEWORK BATTLE. Good Luck!

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Hello:

My son has had ADHD diagnosed since last December, and is just now showing signs of dysgraphia. It has always been there, I think just now that it is becoming a problem. He attends a wonderful private school that we love, and is academically challenging. He is very bright, but I worry because I don't think that this school will be inclined to make any accommodations, and I don't think they have to. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I don't see my son making it in a public school, not enough individual attention, too many students per teacher, he would get lost.

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Two things, you may have to be a pioneer here as many private schools are reluctant to admit that their students (and teaching methods) require program modifications. However, he who pays the piper picks the song. You may actually have more clout in a private school than a public one. Dysgraphia does not go away, in fact it tends to get worse, especially with boys. Be prepared to go to the mat with this one and liberate your son from his hands. My husband is a sought after world authority in his professional field, but he is the first to admit that he would never have gone as far as he has if he was required to hand write his scientific papers. The man can't even read his own grocery list! Don't let them sacrifice your son's genius to a pair of uncooperative hands.

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This is an issue for most kids with AD(H)D. What I noticed with my 2 boys is that they hold the writing instrument so close to the tip that they really need to put pressure just to hold the item. I haven't been able to get my youngest to hold the item higher to make it easier for him. It's the way they taught themselves and hard to unlearn. He used to have such lovely writing/cursive. They both did.

Also, you could definitely use computer. They kind of like doing that. Just number the answers according to the question numbers and attach to homework sheet. I have done this and signed the papers (both) and stated that this was done this way to assist child IN GETTING THE WORK DONE! With workpage or report. Isn't that what the teachers want anyway.....

As far as your 504, teachers/schools can use what is there, but it is only if they are able to. Most will abide by requests/requirements listed to help the child. If you could get this added to your 504, and even get an IEP since child has other issues too. The school systems around the country will try with 504s first unless your child is outright learning disabled and test scores are way down. If they are near or above average, even a fraction, they claim that your child is academically too smart to use IEP. Garbage.

I alone have been trying to get my youngest on an IEP with just ADHD issues regarding school, behavior, homework, understanding broken up subjects, etc. and they kept saying no, he tests too high. Well, I just found out, having an advocate that used to put IEPs together for her students, that if there are issues beyond testing scores, then there are reasons for IEPs and that a student can have an IEP even with higher level test scores. Also, IEPs follow thru to college, 504s stop pretty much at age 16. That's the way the law reads (see if there is a problem child and schools don't put on IEPs, they can drop 504 and just make it harder for you and your child after they turn 16--at least that is what I have come to conclude). As my school is 'rushing' to get my sons IEP/CSE done in time before his 16th birthday, because now that I have an advocate that they can't bamboozle, they are bustin butt.

Your child can also do oral answers, like a tape recorder. Ask the question, then give answer. Have someone else write it down — word for word, punctuation mark for punctuation mark — etc. It has to be his words, not the scribes is all.

Good luck. I don't presume to know much of anything, but have read all I can find (which seems to be not much even after hundreds, if not thousands of pages of information).

Private schools have to follow the same laws as any other school regarding 504s and/or IEPs. Go to Ed.gov look for NCLB (No Child Left Behind). It explains it there under 300.300-300.end.

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Think about how many brain process it takes to write just one sentence. You have how you hold the pencil, the structure of the sentence, the letters formation, the lines, and then the spelling of the words. No wonder kids with ADHD have a hard time with this. Like has been said before in this topic there are things that you can do to help with each of these process and devlop better pathways. There are many programs out there one we like is Brain Gym and Learning Matters.

Not to promote video games... but if you kid really likes them a great thing to get using all parts of the brain is the Wii. You have to use both hands and most games sitting down is not possible. We worked with this ADHD support group and joking one day were were talking about the Wii. One of the parents looked more into it and found all this support for benefits of it. If your kid is going to play them you might as well support brain development. This tactic for brain development has been used in stroke victims and other Physical therapy. The only down side we have found for it is getting him off. We have addressed that by limiting him to 30 minutes after school before we start homework. We have seen a improvement in handwriting and focus when doing this. It is almost like the Wii gets him moving and crosses the mid line so his brain going so homework is easier. This also gives him down time before homework little dose he know that it gets it all moving.

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My 8 yr old son has ADHD and Asperger Syndrome. A double whammy. He also exhibits many many symptoms of Sensory Integration Disorder. Triple Whammy!

He is on an IEP, and has a IQ of 162. He's very smart, a good reader and speller (he was spelling hippopotamus at 3 yrs old!), and talks like a "little professor" as do most Asperger kids.

But he hates to write - with a passion! He has a very hard time holding a pencil - any pencil, no matter the shape, size, grip, etc - he hates it. He has a very difficult time writing, his handwriting looks like a kindergarteners' writing. Therefore, he hates doing any work at all in his class that entails writing, he's never even liked coloring in a coloring book, altho he does like to draw on construction paper. Perhaps because it's less restrictive (i.e. no lines to stay in)?

I always find help when I come here, and this time was no exception. Thank you!

I just learned today about this disorder called dysgraphia? I'm definitely going to talk to his teacher about this.

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idobraces24 said: I have a 1st grade 7 year old son. He doesn't always do his schoolwork, so it becomes homework. We spend hours attempting to get him to finish his work. He hates to write, specially General Knowledge. I have asked the school to let me write for him, but his teacher says he's going to have to learn to do it himself. I can't always be there to write for him. What do I do?

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There have been some great ideas shared. I am an educator who pulls out hair at the demands some teachers put on kids/boys/ADD/LD learners. What is the purpose of the assignment? If it is to give details, then it can be done on a tape recorder. If it is to write so someone can read it, then you need to write. If it is a math test, why should a struggling student be asked to read the test? It is not a reading test. Usually, only one skill can be measured at a time.

Keep a good line of communicaiton with the teacher. Offer suggestions, ask questions. If a teacher is unwilling to work with you, then talk to the principal. You are the your child's advocate.

On the home front. Be sure that you have high expectations. Set reasonable goals. Use a timer with homework - expect a certain number of minutes of focused effort. Exercise! Play! Laugh!

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Have his teacher who teaches him writing read it and talk one-on-one with him. Some kids hate it because they think they can't do it or they are just terrible. That's what happened to me. I hated it, now I've worked on it and i've realised I'm a great writer

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I am a teacher and I'm going through the exact same thing with my 7 year old son. I don't have an IEP yet, but I work with the teacher on limiting time spent on homework. If the lesson isn't a writing lesson, I do the writing for him to get him through it quicker. If we spend ONE HOUR on homework, I cut it off there and write the teacher a note explaining how long we spend on each assignment he completed. There is no way a child should spend even an hour on homework in the 2nd grade. Just make sure you ask which homework the teacher wants completed first so you get through that. My son's teacher wants him to do reading, then math, then spelling THEN the rest of it. We usually don't make it to social studies. Oh well, something has to give!

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I had a client with this issue because his handwriting was messy and the child was avoiding failure. The child even refused to hold a pencil. I had the child learn to draw. He still refused , but then agreed to draw his dog that he loved. From that we ended up writing. I would try that, have him look at the video " Anyone Can Improve Their Own Handwritng" and learn to paint and learn the techniques of creativity first in " Creative Painting for the Young Artist".

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It has been my professional experience that some ADD students struggle with the fear of failure. They are often told many negative comments about their behavior, forgetting homework, not having supplies, incomplete work, etc. If they feel overwhelmed by the writing assignment, they may shut down in frustration. Or if they struggle with handwriting or spelling, they may dread writing. I will sometimes allow ADD students to type it on the computer. Kids love to do anything on the computer. It depends on the assignment, but if I simply want to know what the student is thinking, then I get much better participation and better quality work, if the student can type it on the computer and use spell check - or even talking into a recorder. The thoughts are usually there, inside the ADD child, and they are very often amazing and impressive. I believe it has much to do with the fear of failure and the fear of criticism. By the way, I have 17 years teaching experience in reading/writing and I am a proud mother of an ADD gift of God.

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It has been my professional experience that some ADD students struggle with the fear of failure. They are often told many negative comments about their behavior, forgetting homework, not having supplies, incomplete work, etc. If they feel overwhelmed by the writing assignment, they may shut down in frustration. Or if they struggle with handwriting or spelling, they may dread writing. I will sometimes allow ADD students to type it on the computer. Kids love to do anything on the computer. It depends on the assignment, but if I simply want to know what the student is thinking, then I get much better participation and better quality work, if the student can type it on the computer and use spell check - or even talking into a recorder. The thoughts are usually there, inside the ADD child, and they are very often amazing and impressive. I believe it has much to do with the fear of failure and the fear of criticism. By the way, I have 17 years teaching experience in reading/writing and I am a proud mother of an ADD gift of God.

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