Writing Activities for the Learning Disabled
Some learning disabilities severely impair the writing skills of some children. Students with dyslexia have difficulty reading and writing clearly. Other students with dysgraphia, a writing disability, not only struggle with copying and writing but may have a fine motor deficit as well. Teachers can use several strategies to introduce writing activities.
-
Characteristics
-
Teachers need to keep in mind the challenges of learning disabled students when planning writing activities. Dyslexic students struggle with handwriting and spelling, and substitute small words like "he," "a," "was," "the" or "there" for similar sight words. Children with writing disabilities position their wrist, body or paper in strange way, or use an unusual or cramped grip on their pencil. These students may complain of soreness in their hands. Their writing may be illegible, with inconsistent shapes, sizes and slants of letters. Words or letters may be incomplete.
Posture and Positioning
-
Teachers need to teach proper posture and writing positions as early as possible to prevent the formation of bad habits. Students need encouragement to sit properly and grip writing instruments and position their papers properly.
-
Writing Practice
-
During writing exercises, students can select the most comfortable writing tool for themselves, or use pencil grips or other specialized writing aids. Students practice writing more easily on graph or wide-rule paper. Paper with raised lines offers a guide to help students write between the lines.
Multisensory Techniques
-
Teachers can use the senses to help young students improve their motor memory of essential shapes of letters and numbers. Children can practice writing in the air with large arm movements, smaller hand motions or finger movements. Verbal descriptions can also help children remember the shapes of letters, such as explaining "p" as "big stick down, circle away from my head."
Assignments
-
Students will be more successful if they can take small steps to complete tasks rather than completing a big project all at once. A list of keywords can help students organize their project. Each assignment can have a different focus, such as neatness, organization of ideas, grammar or spelling. Students need extra time to complete timed assignments. Different types of writing can be featured such as short stories and poems. Less-stressful writing opportunities are letter writing, journaling or making household lists.
Editing
-
Students can create a checklist for checking their work for such characteristics as clarity of expression, grammar and neatness. Students find it easier to edit their work after taking a break from it.
Computers
-
Students can practice writing on a computer, which alleviates the frustration of forming letters by hand. Teachers can encourage students to use spell checkers or speaking software that checks their handwritten work.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Ableimages/Lifesize/Getty Images
