Dr. Kay Kosak Abrams, Psychologist - When Your Child Does Not Write Right

When Your Child Does Not Write Right

Washington Parent Magazine, Nov 1998
Kay Kosak Abrams, Ph.D.

My 10-year-old son Daniel cannot write right. He wraps his thumb around his index finger as his fist trudges across the page. Words leap past the margin and letters stretch beyond the limits of the lines which fail to contain him. His spelling is filled with trial-and-error sound associations. For him, to invest mental energy in the mechanics of writing, while transporting thoughts onto paper, is like trying to juggle while roller blading on a balance beam. So, to "bow out" makes perfect sense. When it is time to write, students like my son are daydreaming, talking or heading for the water fountain.

The age of computers brings hope for students who have difficulty with written expression. Technical assistance, such as spell checking programs, are nothing less than a blessing, as are word processing programs and computerized typing tutors. In anticipation of Middle School, we cringe as we wonder how he will take notes during class lectures, how he will get through an essay exam and how he will manage to write explanations for problem-solving in "Open Math."

Most importantly, beyond relying on teachers, and beyond trying to convince the school of his legitimate needs to receive resources and accommodations in the classroom, how do we as parents help our son to help himself?

Misunderstood Underachievers

My son, and many children like him, has always been at great risk of being dismissed or misunderstood. If your child is bright and self-assured, most teachers and parents logically assume, "Sam could do it. He is just lazy." Alternatively, if your daughter is quiet or a daydreamer, expectations for her academic success may quietly evaporate with explanations such as, "Suzie is more interested in her friends than her school work." The behaviors that frustrated or apathetic students turn to in order to escape are understandable given the challenge they face. Writing is an arduous task for most of us, so motivation certainly matters. But, for many capable students, there are neuromuscular deficits--more commonly known as "developmental delays"-- that can kill motivation.

Professionals who specialize in understanding learning disabilities know that neurology is destiny when it comes to strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. Excluding significant emotional and familial problems contributing to poor performance, it is our individual "wiring" that largely determines our behavior in the classroom or on the job. Weaknesses naturally lead to avoidance behaviors, while strengths are naturally reinforced. If Katie cannot keep a beat, you won’t find her on the dance floor. Similarly, if Tom is tone deaf, you won’t see him signing up for chorus.

But, for the child who cannot write right, there is no legitimate escape from frustration and failure in school. Having a writing problem concerns productivity (output) more than "smarts." That is the root of the misunderstood "underachiever." "Underachievers" are known as capable, bright students who do not live up to their potential.

If you have a child who does not "write right," this article was written to help you begin to empower yourself and your child with tools of understanding and intervention.

The Task of Writing

When a child has limited written output, he bcomes involved a diagnostic quagmire because any number of mental or motor processes may be contributing. Writing involves coordination of multiple brain functions, including language comprehension and production, motor skills, working memory and short term memory, attention, as well as organization skills. It is truly a miracle when attention, motor and memory processes orchestrate to produce written expression!

Writing deficits may be indicative of a developmental delay or a learning disability. Development across brain domains is rarely perfect for any of us. Our adeptness growsat different rates, and so we have discrepancies, or what we refer to as "strengths and weaknesses." Significant discrepancies can result in enormous frustration and failure.

Further confusing our ability to understand the cause of a writing problem, attention deficits, anxiety and/or depression can play a part in eroding thought or motor processes. For some children, alleviation of a mood disorder or of situational stress results in improved performance in the classroom.

When your child can form letters but lacks written fluency, that is, he cannot write without really concentrating on the motor effort in his fingers, there is likely much more than "laziness" to blame. Memory, motor processing speed and attention are significant factors in a child’s neurological development that directly influence the ability to "flow" when it comes to writing.

Motor and Memory Skills that Impact Writing Fluency

In addition to fundamentals such as understanding language, attention skills, utilizing both working- and short-term memory, spelling, an ability to take perspective and to initiate work, there are specific memory and motor skills that impact the writing process. Typically, teachers, tutors and education specialists assist students in the cognitive process of writing, while occupational therapists (OT’s) or developmental psychologists assist in the neurological aspects of handwriting. The following skills are delineated by Mel Levine in his text, Educational Care: A System for Understanding and Helping Children with Learning Problems at Home and in School. These are neuromuscular skills because they involve our nervous system working in harmony with our muscles.

Motor Skills. Fine motor dysfunction is often at the root of a writing problem. Fine motor skill is the ability to perform precise motor functions, such as buttoning buttons, tying shoelaces, tracing, drawing or using scissors.
Motor Memory Skills. Memory motor dysfunction involves the lack of procedural memory required to inscribe letters on demand. Some children are unable to recall the sequences of muscle movements needed to form specific letters. Other children have trouble with rapid precise recall of letter shapes during writing.
Graphomotor Production. Our brain sends messages to very small muscles in the fingers, directing some to stabilize and some to move in order to form letters. If transmissions of information falter, the fingers fail us. If there is too much muscle movement and too little stabilization, the pencil grip is unstable and constantly changing. If the opposite is true, with too many stabilizing muscles, the pencil is held close to the page with great pressure.
Motor Feedback. During writing, it is essential to be able to track the exact location of the pen or pencil. Small nerve endings report ongoing location information to the brain. In this manner, the brain is able to navigate to its next destination within a word or even a letter. For most people this process is automatic, but for some, it is deficient (finger agnosia).

Given how complex the task of writing is, it is understandable why parents and teachers alike feel humble in the face of neurology. Schools appear to have progressed further in facing the challenges of reading delays than writing delays. The advice most often relied upon by educators when it comes to helping children with handwriting problems is "learn to touch type. " Particularly in the age of computers, it is simply easier to accommodate than to remediate poor graphomotor or spelling skills.

How Can You Help Your Child?

What can be done to improve your child’s writing is directly tied to his specific deficit. An understanding about the nature of a child’s learning and performance difficulties can be acquired through a thorough psychoeducational battery at his school or outside the school. Psychoeducational evaluations or consultations can be obtained from a neuropsychologist or psychologist who specializes in assessment of developmental learning disabilities. Education specialists, speech and language therapists and occupational therapists all play an important role in obtaining a thorough evaluation.

Meanwhile, do not overlook the most obvious source of information--your child. Listen to his thoughts about what gets in his way. Our son once told us that he writes so little because he feels rushed to finish so he will not be held back from recess (for not completing his work). He knows he is slow, so his goal is to get it out quickly to reduce both his potential loss (recess) and his internal feeling of anxiety when faced with a writing task. Careful observance by parents, teachers or your own child may stimulate efforts to obtain resources for greater success.

The following ideas are intended to provide hope and direction for you, as parents, at home as you begin your journey to find suitable solutions for your child.

Make certain your child has the option of taking extra time to complete written assignments, such as taking work home.
Create opportunities for writing, such as "wish lists," name tags, grocery lists, jokes or treasure hunts. Keep expectations low.
Make writing colorful or interesting for the child who finds it "boring." For example, use colored paper. Try different kinds of pencils or pens. Background noise, such as soft music, may make writing more appealing. Do not hesitate to explore what works.
While it is helpful to observe patterns of spelling errors and to create spelling word lists, do not prevent the flow of writing by correcting spelling simultaneously. They are separate processes. Write first, correct later.
You will know if your child’s writing problems are neurologically based if repeated corrections do not result in change. Johnny continues to "forget" to capitalize. Harping on mechanics results in loss of enthusiasm and effort. Let it go.
When homework becomes overly taxing, allow your child to dictate the answers while you write for him. Or take turns, alternating the requirement for writing with a turn to dictate.
If handwriting is difficult, do not immediately require a child to rewrite his draft. Give it a break. Teach your child to ask the teacher for extra time. Or, type the child’s written assignment and turn in both his handwritten efforts and the typewritten copy.
If fluency is still developing, allow manuscript writing, giving your child the option to write cursive or print. Continue to practice cursive periodically in the classroom and at home. It may be a while, if ever, before cursive is fluent.
Relying on the computer can be a great relief. Consider a lap top in the classroom, an Alpha Smart (a keyboard for the classroom that can be plugged in to the computer) or access to a computer.
Taking a tape recorder to class can also be enormously helpful if your son is comfortable doing so. This allows him to review a lecture, go back and take notes at a slower pace, or even to type notes while listening to the tape.
Teach your child to ask the teacher for a copy of outlines or legible notes or have him find a friend whose notes make sense to him. * Remember that our brains compensate very well. Some weak writers compensate beautifully with a gift of sharp listening skills. They develop sharp memories for what they hear in class and do well on tests with only minimal notes.
Beyond elementary school, penmanship and spelling will not be as greatly emphasized.
Trust yourself. Learn to dismiss neighbors, family members, friends or pediatricians who disregard your heartfelt concerns by telling you your child "is fine" when you know he is not.

Finally, have patience and hope. There are many successful adults who had an early history of poor handwriting or language processing deficits. While I was at the beach working on this article and so aware of the complex task of writing, I was naturally tuned in to observing my son, Daniel. We wondered how long he would last when he chose to play Scrabble with his family and friends. Then the "miracle"

happened, putting our minds at ease. Daniel, the kid with a spelling disability, consistently won at Scrabble. How could this be?

The "miracle" is an illustration of how personality can override any weakness in our brains. Daniel simply became a whiz at adding onto others’ words. "Ox" becomes "oxen," "tore" became "store" and so on. His creative mastery reminded me of the time he rushed to produce a poem for his school’s writing contest after his parents insisted he contribute something. He took what he thought was an easy out, by choosing to write a humorous poem. He won Honorable Mention for his poem.

It is in these moments of relief and hope that we are vividly reminded of how our weaknesses are so often our greatest strengths!