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Writing Disabilities: How to Teach
Basic Writing Skills
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Jennifer Wagaman
All contents copyright C 2011 by Jennifer Wagaman. All rights reserved. No part of this
document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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Table of Contents
Dysgraphia: A Specific Learning Disability in Written Expression ................................................................ 4
How to Teach Students with a Writing Disability ......................................................................................... 7
What Can You do to Help? ................................................................................................................... 7
The IEP for a Writing Disability ............................................................................................................ 9
Misconceptions About Learning Disabilities ............................................................................................... 10
How to Improve Student Handwriting ........................................................................................................ 11
Instruction for Left-Handed Writers ........................................................................................................... 12
Ideas for Improving a Child's Writing Skills ................................................................................................. 14
Activities that Teach Beginning Writing Skills ............................................................................................. 15
Building Sentences ................................................................................................................... 15
Learning Punctuation ................................................................................................................ 15
Spacing Between Words ........................................................................................................... 15
Practicing Skills ......................................................................................................................... 16
Introduce the Author's Chair ..................................................................................................... 16
Grading Writing Assignments with a Rubric ............................................................................... 16
How Parents Can Help Children Improve Writing ...................................................................................... 18
Writing Basics: Holding a Pencil ......................................................................................................... 18
Encourage Frequent and Creative Writing ........................................................................................ 18
Work Together on Writing Projects ................................................................................................... 18
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Dysgraphia: A Specific Learning Disability in Written
Expression
Students with Dysgraphia, struggle to get their thoughts written down on paper. There is no
difficulty in speaking or communicating verbally, but when required to come up with something
to write down, there is a very real block that prevents them from the same writing ability as
their peers.
Students who have a specific disability in writing often lack basic spelling skills. They may often
confuse the letters: b, q, p, and d. These students will often write the wrong words when
attempting to put their thoughts down on paper, as well. A teacher may notice that the
student’s letters are inappropriately spaced, are incomplete or are a mixture of upper and
lower case letters all in the same word.
The student may have an odd grip on the pencil or pen, or simply refuse to write. The student
will typically have bad handwriting, write very little at a time, and may complain about their
hand or arm hurting after very little time spent writing. The child will seem to spend an
inordinate amount of time attempting to write simple things, including copying information
from the board. Taking notes will seem like an insurmountable task and they may act out when
required to write.
Illegibility should not be the sole
qualifying factor in diagnosing a
writing disability.
If a parent or teacher suspects a problem with a student’s writing ability, a conference should
be held to discuss all written language issues. If the parent is concerned, the teacher may be
able to share writing samples from other children to show that the child’s writing is indeed
below grade level or that instead, the child is performing as expected.
If a parent and teacher agree, steps should be taken to have the student tested for a writing
disability. That said, the parent has the right to have the child tested whether the teacher
agrees with that decision or not.
Let’s take a step back first, and take a look at what dysgraphia is before we look at how to
diagnose the problem.
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Dysgraphia is a term used to describe a specific learning disability in the area of written
expression. There are three different types of dysgraphia. If a child is diagnosed with a writing
disability, schools often do not differentiate between the three types of dysgraphia. While
there may be some situations in which knowing the specific type of dysgrapha is important, for
the school’s purposes of helping the child learn to write, the type is not as important.
Dyslexic Dysgrahia:
A student with dyslexic dysgraphia will often write a first or rough draft of a paper that is
illegible. At the same time, though, if the student is required to copy work from another paper
or from the board, the handwriting is acceptable. A child with this type of disgraphia will have
difficulty with spelling as well.
Note: Dyslexic dysgraphia does not necessarily mean that the child has dyslexia, which is a
reading disability.
Motor Dysgraphia:
A child with motor dysgraphia will have a deficit in fine motor skills, poor dexterity and poor
muscle tone. Because of this, the child’s handwriting will usually be illegible whether writing a
first draft or copying work from the board. The child should be able to correctly form individual
letters in isolation, but it may take a lot of time and effort. Spelling is generally okay for this
child.
Spatial Dysgraphia:
A child with spatial dysgraphia will often have illegible handwriting all the time, including
copying work from the board. This child’s spelling skills will typically be considered normal for
his or her age group. The difference between spatial dysgraphia and motor dysgraphia is that
the ability to control the fine movements of the hand to form the letters is not the root cause of
the child’s disability.
Reference and for more information: Deuel, Ruthmary K., M.D. Developmental Dysgraphia and
Motor Skills Disorders. Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 10, Supp.1. January 1995, pp. S6-S8
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How is Dysgraphia Diagnosed?
Causes of Dysgraphia include genetics, head trauma, brain damage and disease. In order to
diagnose dysgraphia, a parent or teacher would first be aware of the problem. A family
physician will then generally refer the child to an occupational therapist who will do a battery of
tests. These tests will look for pre-writing skills including:






Fine motor skills
Visuomotor integration (which involves being able to coordinate your hand and eyes
together)
Smooth strokes
Perceptual discrimination of shapes/letters/numbers
Orientation to printed page
Ability to recognize letters
Professionals involved in the diagnosis include the occupational therapist, school psychologist,
and special educator. Once a writing disability is identified, the student should begin to receive
help to improve their writing skills.
An occupational therapist will often work with a child diagnosed with dysgraphia, teaching
letter formation with directional sequence first, then blending those letters into words. Often,
multi-sensory programs are used to teach reading and writing. The Orton-Gillingham Method
has shown to be helpful.
• Parent or teacher must recognize a problem
• Parent and teacher should conference to determine if
Awareness testing is required
• The child must be tested for a disability
• All professionals will combine testing results to diagnose
Diagnosis
a disability
• Working with an occupational therapist can help
Treatment • Multi-sensory teachig programs help in the classroom
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How to Teach Students with a Writing Disability
Students who have a writing disability will need extra help in the classroom. Although a special
educator will work with the student once an Individual Education Plan is written (IEP), it is
helpful for the regular educator and the parent to understand the disability, common
modifications and methods of helping the student as well.
What Can You do to Help?
When working with a student who has a writing disability, it is important to remember that the
student is not refusing to write out of defiance, even though the child may display an
inappropriate attitude. Helping this child takes patience and perseverance.
Always provide lines for
the student to write on,
no matter what the
assignment.
Be careful to not have writing be a means of punishment for the child. That said, be sure to
include opportunities for writing each day. It may be helpful for the student to be paired up
with a friend who can help write assignments down.
Use paper with clear lines printed for height and depth of letters. This will provide a young child
with specific boundaries for where the top middle and bottom of each letter should go. Along
with this type of paper, the child should be specifically instructed as to how to write each letter
on the paper. This instruction should be repeated at home and at school until mastery is
achieved. This mean the child knows and can remember how each letter should be written
every time. To get to this level of mastery, the instruction may need to be repeated for many
months.
Depending on the severity of the disability, the use of an Alphasmart or computer may be
appropriate to eliminate the physical aspect of forming letters.
Whenever possible, poor handwriting should ignored and the focus of instruction and grading
should be on the quality of the actual writing.
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Have the child write daily – and allow choice in what he writes. A great way for parents and
teachers both to do this is to have a journal for the child to write in. The child will likely be
reluctant to write at first because of the difficulty it represents, but in time it will simply
become a habit. Do not read the journal if the child requests privacy and never grade the
journal or use the journal as an instructional tool. It is simply a method for the child to practice
writing without judgment.
To help with hand-eye coordination, encourage activities
that require cutting, making crafts, cooking, baking and
participating in sports. Activities that require the use of
fine motor skills are good as well and can include sewing
and manipulating small objects.
To help with visual memory, play card games, marbles and
jacks.
Each student is different
and responds to different
methods of teaching.
Remember that all
students can learn, even
those with a disability.
The regular education teacher can work together with the special education teacher assigned
to the student who has a writing disability to better understand the strengths and weaknesses
of the particular child. Likewise, the parent can request a conference with the special education
teacher to learn this same information.
Recap of ideas to help a child with dysgraphia:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Remain patient
Persevere even when the going gets tough
Provide lines on everything the child has to write on
Young children should have lines that show where the bottom, middle and top of letters
belong
Specifically instruct children in writing, do not anticipate that the child will simply “pick it
up”
Have the child write each day
The use of a journal can help remove all judgment from writing
Focus on what is being written, not the handwriting, whenever possible
Use a keyboard or alphasmart to help a child with a severe writing disability
Incorporate hand-eye coordination activities
a. Cutting
b. Making crafts
c. Cooking and baking
d. Participating in sports
11. Encourage fine motor skill development
a. Sewing
b. Manipulating small objects
12. Improve visual memory
a. Card games
b. Marbles
c. Jacks
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The IEP for a Writing Disability
When a child is officially diagnosed with a writing disability, the public school system is required
to provide a free and appropriate education, which in this case will involve an Individual
Education Plan for the student, or an IEP. The IEP will contain a lot of information about the
child, the disability, the testing results and any modifications necessary to help the child
succeed. The IEP will also include short term and long term educational goals specific to the
child’s ability level and grade level.
Here are some of the common modifications that you may find on the IEP for a child with a
writing disability:
Additional Time – Providing extra time for a student is a very common modification for students
with any type of disability, including writing. This allows the student the time needed to process
the information, and attempt to work through the disability to write down an answer.
Dictation/typing – Sometimes a child has such a severe writing disability that for testing
purposes it is a more accurate picture of the child's knowledge to have him dictate to a teacher
instead of writing his own answers. The use of an Alphasmart or computer helps a student with
a writing disability because typing is a different method of written communication that is often
easier for the child.
Modified Assignments – When working with a student who has a disability, modifying
assignments is often necessary. Modifying a writing assignment often involves creating a
worksheet for note taking, breaking an essay assignment down into small manageable chunks,
and reducing the amount of writing required.
The parent, along with the rest of the IEP team,
can suggest any modifications deemed
necessary for the individual child.
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Misconceptions About Learning Disabilities
Entering the classroom for the first time, many teachers are not fully prepared for the challenge
of working with a mixed ability level including those students who are gifted and those students
with learning disabilities. There are a few misconceptions about specific learning disabilities
that need to be clarified.
1. Myth: Students with disabilities are stupid
Being diagnosed or labeled with a disability often has the crippling effect of making people
believe a child is stupid or incapable of learning. The fact of the matter, though, is that a child
must have average to above average intelligence in order to qualify as having a disability.
If the child’s intelligence falls enough below the average range, the child may qualify as
mentally retarded. Mental retardation (MR) is not the same as a specific learning disability, and
in fact, a child cannot be diagnosed with MR and a specific learning disability though MR does
affect learning.
2. Myth: A child with a learning disability does not pay enough attention in class
The fact that a student is diagnosed with a specific learning disability has no impact on the
environmental aspect of how well or how poorly the child paid attention in class. Additionally,
poor teaching cannot result in a true disability. A learning disability is a result of something in
the child’s brain that causes the child to learn differently and while head trauma may cause this
problem, most often the child is born with this difference.
This does not mean that environmental factors cannot play a part in a child’s inability to read,
write or complete math on grade level though. A child who did not learn due to poor teaching
or lack of attendance in class or other environmental factors does not have a learning disability,
but does need additional assistance in order to catch up and read on grade level.
3. Myth: Students with a specific learning disability simply do not try hard enough
Teachers may often get frustrated with a child who is diagnosed with a learning disability
because it seems that if the child were to just try harder, the learning would happen. This is not
the case, though, as often students with disabilities try harder than their peers in order to
achieve even small amounts of success in school.
A child who appears to not be trying is likely frustrated with the fact that academic success
comes at a great effort. The best thing a teacher can do in this situation is teach the entire class
what it means to have a learning disability and make sure that each student knows how to help
the child, even if it is by just being a friend.
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How to Improve Student Handwriting
Ways to Encourage Your Students to Write Neatly
When working with a student who has a writing disability, the handwriting is often very low on
the scale of importance. That said, illegible handwriting can often be a very frustrating issue for
parents and teachers and it can be very difficult to grade a student if the teacher simply cannot
read the child’s writing.
How to Handle Note-Taking
If the student is capable of copying work with legible handwriting, the teacher can do a couple
of things to help a student take notes or write down homework assignments. First, and most
obvious, the teacher can simply write all important notes on the board for the student to copy.
It would not take too much effort for a teacher to instill the importance of copying down
everything written on the board.
The other option for notes and assignments is for the teacher to simply provide the student
with a copy of the notes or assignments to take home. This would eliminate writing altogether
and allow the student to focus on the learning without struggling to write. The difficulty with
this is that many children may become disengaged with the lesson because all the work has
been done for them.
Using Dictation or a Computer to Avoid a Handwriting Issue
Students who cannot write neatly even when copying or for
assignments where the student has to produce an answer to be
graded, the handwriting issue becomes more prominent. It is
important that the child be able to produce his or her own answers to
questions without help, but at the same time, help is often required in
this case to give proper credit for correct answers.
Find ways to work
around handwriting
and to grade student
on knowledge.
In this case, using dictation can be one option that is available for
bypassing poor handwriting. In upper elementary classes it is possible to train another student
to write the child’s answers down, but this should be done with great caution so that the
student does not cheat. Other options include a paraprofessional or for the teacher herself to
sit down and write the student’s answers out. Likewise, at home, the child’s parent should be
able to write the child’s answers to homework assignments down for the child to receive credit.
The last option in this situation would be to allow the child to type his or her answers on a
computer or Alphasmart. This can be more difficult with some worksheets that require answers
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to be written in specific places, but with basic question/answer worksheets, the student can
simply print his or her answers and turn them in with the blank worksheet for credit.
Avoid showcasing neat handwriting as this can be frustrating to a child who cannot write neatly
due to a disability. Working together with the occupational therapist and special education
teacher, appropriate handwriting practice can be assigned along with regular homework.
Instruction for Left-Handed Writers
Teachers spend time teaching children how to write with the right hand, but often left handed
children get lost in the shuffle because teachers do not know how to write with the left hand.
When the left-handed child also has a writing disability, it is even more important for the
teacher to know how to write, and how to instruct a student to write, with the left hand. Here
are some tips to correctly teach a left-handed child to write, or correct poor writing habits of a
left-handed child.
Angle the Paper for a Left Handed Writer
When writing with the left hand, paper angle is very important. Start with the paper just to the
left of the student’s mid-line. Likewise, a right-handed writer should have the paper just to the
right of mid-line. The paper should be angled for the left-handed writer so that the top right
corner is closer to the body than the top left corner. Different children may prefer more or less
angle to the paper.
How to Hold the Pencil
Students should hold the pencil the same way whether they are right handed or left handed.
Students should grip the pencil between their thumb, middle and fore finger about an inch
away from the tip. The middle finger should curl slightly underneath the pencil to provide
support. The child should hold the pencil far enough away to see his writing as well which will
also help prevent him from smearing his words.
A common mistake students make is to grip the pencil too tightly. This strains the muscles and
can cause tension and pain that increases as the child writes more. The teacher should
encourage the child to grip gently and relax while writing. Allowing the child to write with larger
letter will aid in a more relaxed hand grip, and making sure that the child is not gripping the
pencil too close to the tip will help as well.
How to Position the Hand to Write
When writing with the left hand, it is important that the arm be perpendicular to the bottom
edge of the paper. This ensures that the paper is in the correct position. In addition, the wrist
should not bend as left-handed writers often do. The wrist should be straight, and the hand just
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under the line the student is writing. If the wrist is bent, this is an indication that the hand is too
far up the page. By bringing the hand down slightly, the student's wrist will naturally straighten.
Here are two picture examples of how to write with the left hand:
Notice how the wrist is bent in the picture above. The arm angles away from the paper as well.
This is an incorrect example of how to write with the left hand.
In this picture, the wrist does not curve and the arm is directly perpendicular to the bottom of
the paper. This is an example of how to correctly write with the left hand.
Just as important as not forcing a student to write with one hand or another, is the importance
of teaching the child how to write with which ever hand is dominant. Lack of instruction,
particularly in learning to write with the left hand, has left many children struggling to write
legibly, even without a writing disability.
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Ideas for Improving a Child's Writing Skills
Now that we have covered some of the basics of writing disabilities and how to treat
disabilities, it’s time to discuss some specific ways to help improve a child’s writing skills.
Many children do not like to write, for one reason or another. It may be difficult for them to
control the movement of the pencil on the paper, or maybe they cannot come up with anything
to write about. The ability to write clearly and legibly is important and parents and teachers
need to provide additional help for these children to learn. A great way to help improve a
child's writing skills is to have them keep a simple journal. This can begin as soon as a child can
hold a pencil in one hand.
Picture Journals for Young Children
Young children who do not know their letters cannot write words or sentences but they can
draw pictures. A class of preschoolers got excited one day because they "wrote" a Cinderella
story. Parents had a simple folded picture book thrust into their hands and each child read his
or her story to smiling parents. The pictures were rudimentary and in some cases
unrecognizable, but it was their story.
This is where writing begins, one person expressing a thought or an idea on paper. Encouraging
children to keep a journal even at this young age can help prevent negative feelings towards
writing in the future.
Words and Picture Journals for Children
As children learn their letters, encourage them to add first individual letters and later simple
words they know to their picture journal. This may start simply by signing their name at the
bottom of each page, or having a string of C’s and O’s written across the pages.
When children start asking how to spell words, use the opportunity to reinforce letter sounds.
Ask them what sound it starts with, and help them sound out the word. Alternatively tell them
to simply “write what it sounds like”. This is called inventive spelling, and as they learn more
phonetic rules, they will learn the correct spelling rules for words.
When the children can write numbers, show them how to write the date. Use the calendar to
demonstrate how to find out the date. Allow them to copy this information from a written
example first, then as they better understand the concept, they can copy off of the calendar
itself.
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Encourage Children to Keep a Daily Journal
The more letters a child knows, the more he can be expected to write in his journal. When an
older child asks how to spell a word, use the opportunity to reinforce the skill of looking up a
word in the dictionary. The more often a child uses the dictionary, the better the child’s
reference skills will become. If you are a bad speller yourself, deferring to a dictionary is an
excellent way to hide the fact that you may not remember how to spell the word.
If you have a reluctant writer, tell him that he can write anything he wishes, and that no one
will read it - and then stick to it! Leave the journal alone unless the child asks you to read it. The
important thing at this point is to get the child writing. It truly doesn't matter what he is writing.
Activities that Teach Beginning Writing Skills
Teaching young children how to write should be fun and interactive. For each element of the
writing process, there are fun and exciting ways to encourage learning. From the beginning of
building sentences, to learning correct punctuation and how to space their words, to practicing
their new skills, teachers can create an atmosphere of having fun while learning.
Building Sentences
A way to teach vocabulary and proper sentence formation that all students will enjoy, is
building sentences. Create words and punctuation marks on poster board and cut each one out.
These words can be as big or small, complicated or simple as you think is appropriate for your
students. Allow the students to sit on the floor and physically put together the sentences. Be
sure to collect the words and store them in a plastic zip lock bag and label for reuse.
Learning Punctuation
Having your students act out the punctuation marks as you do a shared reading activity in class
can help to reinforce the meaning of each mark. Have your students practice these signs with
some sample sentences first, and then as you read together, have the entire class join you in
demonstrating the punctuation. You can also move on to sentences with no punctuation, and
the students must decide on which motion to use.
For a period, show your hand in a signal to stop. For a question mark, place your hands on your
hips, and shrug your shoulders. The sign language gesture for clapping (shaking or spinning
hands up in the air) can signal an exclamation mark. Put your finger to chin like you are thinking
to signal a comma, and for quotation marks, use your fingers to make air quotes.
Spacing Between Words
Students need to be taught to leave space between the words that they write. You can do this
by having students use a finger between each word, or create a “spaceman” to help. You
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can buy them or make them using Popsicle sticks. You can also make Mr. Eraser the Spacer by
cutting a rectangle eraser into appropriate sized pieces.
Practicing Skills
To practice new skills, have your students correct sentences on a white board with different
colored dry erase markers. The students should be required to say what they are fixing and
why, then read the good sentence together afterward. As students learn more about
sentences, add different kinds of mistakes.
You can also provide a method for self-evaluation and have your students strive for 5-star
writing by checking each of the following before turning a paper in:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Name on paper
Capital at beginning of sentence
Lowercase letters
Punctuation
Finger spaces
Think creatively to teach your students the basics of writing, and be sure to involve all
the learning styles by getting students up and moving around, listening and looking to learn.
The more active the students can be in class, the more they will enjoy the activity and the
better they will remember what they have learned.
Introduce the Author's Chair
Each time you go through the writing process with your students, take time to have an author's
chair day where the students can get in front of the class and share their work. Teach students
how to critique each work with both a positive and a room from improvement comment. Use
this time to talk about how each author can learn from the comments to improve the next
writing piece.
Grading Writing Assignments with a Rubric
Before giving a writing assignment, you should come up with a rubric to grade the final draft.
Knowing what you are looking for will enable the students to write better, and will provide a
framework for your lessons throughout the process. Be sure to teach through each area on
your rubric before having the students turn the work in. Remember that student grades are a
reflection of how well you taught.
Take time to have your students write each day. The more your students write, the better they
will become, but remember to intentionally teach each writing skill. Learn about how to teach
writing to students with a writing disability, and how to teach writing to autistic students.
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The Writing Process
Pre-Write: This is the time when ideas are thought up for the writing
assignment. Teach this in a whole class lesson and encourage every
student to participate. No answer is wrong. If a student throws out an
idea that is off topic or ridiculous, challenge the student to explain his
rationale instead of simply dismissing the comment.
Rough Draft: This is the opportunity for students to get their thoughts on
paper. This is one of the most important steps in the writing process, and
if skipped will result in writers block and a general lack of writing. Be sure
to focus on this step with every writing assignment regardless of whether
the assignment is graded. Emphasize that the writing does not have to be
neat, make perfect sense or be spelled correctly.
Edit/Revise: This can be one of the most difficult steps in the process to
teach. Using sample paragraphs that have mistakes in them can teach
students to find and correct errors. Have a check list displayed for
students to go through as they edit their papers. During this time, you
should also have writer's conferences where you go over the writing with
each student individually, and model how to correct and revise the
paper.
Final Draft: This step can be completed on a computer if possible, or
simply in good handwriting. Ensure that the students do not rush to
complete this step and explain that during the edit/revise stage the
paper may be rewritten several times before the final draft is complete.
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How Parents Can Help Children Improve Writing
Helping to improve a child's writing skills can set the stage for a more successful education and
the ability to communicate clearly. When a child has a writing disability, it is even more
important for the parent to be involved in the writing instruction at home. Writing is a skill that
requires fine motor skills to hold the pencil, clarity of thought to have something to write, and
the ability to transfer the thoughts to paper by writing them down. While any one of these
areas can be difficult for a child, a parent can help with each step.
Writing Basics: Holding a Pencil
First, ensure the child can properly hold a pencil. A child who cannot hold a pencil correctly will
experience pain while writing and this can cause him to write very little. The thumb, pointer
finger and middle finger should work together to hold the pencil. The wrist should be straight
and in line with the fore arm. If the wrist is bent, this needs to be corrected.
An occupational therapist may give the child a special pencil grip that helps the child hold the
pencil correctly and may reduce pain when writing. If not, ask the occupational therapist about
a pencil grip to see if this is an option that may help your child.
Encourage Frequent and Creative Writing
Play games to encourage creative thinking. A child who claims to have nothing to write about,
needs to be taught to think creatively. One game to play is "once upon a time ..." where each
member of the family adds one line to the story.
Have children write in journals daily. Daily practice writing will go a long way towards improving
writing skills. The children can write about anything in their journals and parents do not have to
read the journals. This encourages free thought and expression.
Work Together on Writing Projects
Improve papers together. When assignments come home from school, parents can sit with the
child and work together to add details to the papers or make corrections to them. Ask the child
to read the paper aloud and write down several questions or suggestions that the child can use
to make improvements.
Have children submit written requests for what they want. This is a great way to
improve persuasive writing skills. Children have to articulate what they want, why they want it
and why the parents should give it to them. Go over the papers together to ensure the best
18
persuasive argument. Depending on the severity of the child’s writing disability, this may not be
an appropriate task, use your judgment when deciding what your child can handle.
Improving a child’s writing skills takes patience and hard work, but with some careful attention
to details, improvements will be seen. Watch for correct hand positioning, foster creative
thinking and model editing and revising skills.
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