Highly Engaging Handwriting Instruction for Students with Dysgraphia
Certified handwriting specialist Kelli Fetter joined me for a special guest post on the Reframing Neurodiversity blog this week to discuss breaking down the barriers neurodivergent kids may have for getting their thoughts onto paper.
We talk about how movement and play are so effective for getting kids ready to write, and we dig deep into the ways to make the process enjoyable for kids. I love how she focuses on kids’ strengths and helps rebuild their confidence throughout their whole journey.
Melissa: I think you and I have both noticed this gap for children with dysgraphia. There are tons of resources for reading, but there's just not much out there to support the writing aspect.
It really impacts kids’ confidence when they have big ideas but there’s this limitation in getting it out onto the page.
Kelli: Exactly, and a child’s limitation could either be the physical act of writing — things like physically holding a pencil or writing neatly —- or it could be cognitive.
So their verbal ability might be high, but when they go to write a sentence it's three words long or the spelling is challenging.
Key Skills: Encoding and Decoding
Reading is decoding information: being able to see a word and break it down into sounds.
Writing is encoding information: being able to think of a word, break it down into sounds, figure out which letter goes with which sound, and then write the letter.
It’s because of that cognitive load — they’re thinking about letter sounds and spelling and then their handwriting goes astray. That’s why we often see it in kids with dyslexia too.
People don't think about all these cognitive sensory motor pieces when they pick up a pen and write. But for a neurodiverse child a breakdown in any of those areas can really be a barrier.
Melissa: They're having to put so much energy and attention into an area that would be on autopilot for a neurotypical child.
And as a result their writing doesn’t truly reflect the depth of what they have to say. That really impacts the way a child feels about themselves as a learner and affects their engagement level in the classroom as well.
Kelli: Absolutely, and confidence was one of the biggest signs that my own child needed help with handwriting.
It’s actually one of the biggest signs that I see when I talk with parents. When I hear that a child is frustrated with writing or avoiding it altogether, that tells me right away that we’re dealing with confidence.
How Do We Recognize and Support a Child With Dysgraphia?
Melissa: Is there more to it that people can keep an eye out for if you don't have an official dysgraphia diagnosis yet?
Kelli: Definitely watch for:
The frustration, the avoidance, ripping up their paper, scribbling it out, lots of erasing.
Whether they're able to write on the lines, if words and sentences are slanted, or they struggle with margins.
If written spelling or forming letters is a struggle but they can spell verbally, that's usually a sign of dysgraphia too.
We look for all this in our assessment because we want them to be fluent, automatic writers, and at the same time we want them to be able to share their thoughts in a way that's comfortable for them.
What do you learn from a handwriting assessment?
Kelli: First we figure out what foundational skills are strong and which may be lagging.
That way we know the barriers and what we need to build up, and we know the strengths we can pull in as much as possible.
Then we do the more systematic instruction for writing, skills like how to hold the pencil and how to form each letter.
And as we're building up their skills, we also have accommodations in place. That might look like extra time, being able to use speech to text, or keyboarding.Whatever we can do so they can get their thoughts out when they need to get their thoughts out and not have to spend hours trying to painfully write when they're just not ready for it.
Melissa: One thing you mentioned in there is the strength-based approach I love and am always talking about. Making sure we’re acknowledging and incorporating what a child does well.
We can see more buy-in when it’s enjoyable for them instead of only being about what they don't do well.
Kelli: 100%! It's that neurodiversity-affirming method of giving them a challenge that’s just right.
When kids start coming to tutoring with us, particularly older kids, their mindset is “I'm not good at this. The teacher has told me I'm not good at this. I want to avoid this.”
But we make it so fun that they love it by the end of their first session. And now they suddenly want to get better at it, which is really cool to see too,
Melissa: Leveraging their strengths, supporting those areas of need, building their confidence… all the things we want to keep that kid more engaged.
What are some of the ways you make it fun, how do you get kids engaged in writing?
Kelli: We love games. We adapt all sorts of board games or even online games into activities during our sessions.
And really incorporating the whole body is super important for building those brain connections. So often when we say we do handwriting tutoring, parents like, ‘well why are you all doing jumping jacks?’ It's all part of those brain connections to get them ready to write.
So it's fun and it looks like play, but we're really building up those lagging skills.
“A lot of times we talk about task initiation activities and bringing in things where they can move their bodies and get ready to learn. And with handwriting you’re sitting at a desk, not moving. So I love how you’re allowing kids to be creative and find enjoyment in the process.”
Kelli: And that's also where that multi-sensory learning comes into play.
We don’t have to write pencil to paper: we can use chalkboards, sidewalk chalk, shaving cream, or paint. We can build our letters three dimensionally. We can use those fun scented markers. Bringing in all those sense stimulates their interest so well.
And it works for the kids with ADHD too. They want that high sensory engagement because it activates that brain, which again leads to better learning retention.
An Easy First Step For Helping Children With Dysgraphia: Play.
Melissa: What first steps do you recommend for the parent who is like, yes, this is what I need, but where do I begin? These are the parents who might be seeing these struggles with their child, but don't really know what to do at home or don't really know how to start that conversation with the child's teacher.
Kelli: My biggest tip: Play.
Get your child actively engaged in play having them use their whole body. Play board games, do beading, do activities where they’re manipulating things with their hands.
It all builds up their strength for writing and their core stability.
So hopefully parents can at least leave with that tangible advice and think ‘okay, I can do that. That's not as hard as it seems.’
And then I’d really recommend that if you know your child is struggling with handwriting in the ways we’ve talked about today, don't delay giving any of this a try. The earlier, the better.
At the same time, it's never too late! Sometimes I get parents and middle schoolers who tell me how the teacher said by grade three their handwriting is not going to improve. That's not true though, we know that our brains are growing and changing every day all the way through our lifespan. So it’s absolutely never too late.
More Resources Mentioned in the Episode
Connect with Kelli! @handwriting.solutions on Instagram and head to her ‘get started’ page on handwritingsolutions.org to book a your free consultation.
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Still curious about anything we mentioned today? I'd love to hear what's on your mind.
It's really a dream come true to have a platform to discuss these issues that are so near and dear to my heart with you. And I'm just so grateful that you're here with me today and ready to support each other on our journeys.
