This reply was originally posted by user adhdmomma in ADDitude’s now-retired community.
It definitely sounds like dysgraphia (my son has it too). https://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/725.html
If it is, the handwriting will not likely improve. My son had a year of private OT working through Handwriting Without Tears. We tried every special pencil, pencil grip, and paper. We tried teaching him cursive. Nothing made a difference, because we cannot rewire his brain. 😉
Here’s what has helped:
1. Typing whenever possible
2. Taking pictures of homework written on the board, instead of being expected to copy it down
3. An app called SnapType (https://www.additudemag.com/adhdblogs/30/11108.html)
4. Speech to text (free on Google Docs)
5. Sometimes taking quizzes and tests orally
He gets upset and mad about it because he can’t help it. Ask his teachers to not make him re-write his work — that’s punishing a kid who cannot write well through no fault of his own with more writing.
Penny
ADDconnect Moderator, Author on Parenting ADHD, Mom to teen boy with ADHD, LDs, and autism