|
|
|
LD OnLine Exclusive! Strategies for Dealing
|
A common teaching
technique is to have the students write information to reinforce the material.
For example, spelling programs often encourage students to write each spelling
word five times or 20 times. For many students, the kinesthetic process of
writing reinforces what is to be learned. However, for a small group of
students, rather than reinforcing and consolidating information, the process of
writing actually interferes with learning. These students struggle to write and
consequently spend much more time than their peers on a writing assignment.
Even so, they remember less: the act of writing greatly interferes with
learning. Cognitively, so much of their energy is spent on the process that they often do not learn or
some times even process the content
of what they are working on. Some students with severe dysgraphia may actually
complete a writing assignment and then have to reread it to determine what they
wrote, especially in a copying task or if they are focusing on neatness.
Educators expect students to learn from the process of writing, yet these
students find that the process of writing actually interferes with learning.
How, then, can they adequately learn to use the process of writing to express
their ideas?
Why does this occur? Dysgraphia is a
problem with the writing process. For these students, there is an underlying
reason that their papers are messy or that their speed is excessively fast or
extremely slow. It is unfair to label them as poorly motivated, careless, lazy,
or impulsive. While these interpretations may be true on the surface, they are
not the root of what is happening.
The root for dysgraphia is actually found within the processing system involved
with sequencing, especially the motor movements which should be sequential and
very automatic.
Students with dysgraphia need to develop both compensations and remediation
strategies. Compensations are
techniques to bypass the problem and reduce the negative impact on learning.
This is accomplished by avoiding the difficulty, changing the assignment
expectations, or using strategies to aid a particular aspect of the task.
Compensations can also be termed bypass
strategies or accommodations, the latter term used more frequently in legal
situations. Remediation provides
additional structured practice or re-teaching of the skill or concept using
specialized techniques to match the student's processing style and need.
The astute teacher or parent must first determine the point at which the
student becomes confused or begins to struggle. Does it begin as soon as the
student starts to write? Is it halfway through the paragraph? Is it when the
student tries to think about more complex ideas rather than just write a
sentence or perform a copying task? When these determinations are made, it is
important to identify which components of the task cause the confusions and/or
struggles. Is it the use of manuscript, or the use of cursive? Is it the
process of dealing with mechanics while writing? Is it the process of trying to
think and plan while writing?
Remedial strategies
It is critical that students do not totally avoid the process of
writing, no matter how severe their dysgraphia. Writing is an important life
skill necessary for signing documents, filling out forms, writing checks,
taking telephone messages or writing a grocery list. Therefore, students need
to be able to write, even if they cannot maintain writing for long periods of
time. Some students may be able to copy and write single sentences with a fair degree of ease, but they struggle tremendously with paragraph writing. These students will need to be taught techniques that enable them to perform each subpart prior to pulling together all the parts. Substantial modeling will be necessary at each stage for the student to be successful. For example, when writing a paragraph students can be taught the following eight steps: |
|
1. Think about your ideas and elaborate on each part
of the ideas.
2. Organize the ideas you want to
express. This type of organization is easily performed using visual graphic
organizers. For example, you can create a mind map so that the main idea is
placed in a circle in the center of the page and supporting facts are written
on lines coming out of the main circle, similar to the arms of a spider or
spokes on a wheel. Many visual organizer formats can be used, with different
formats appropriate for different situations.
|
3. Analyze your graphic organizer to
determine if you included all of your ideas. If you have difficulty with
spelling, make a list of the more difficult or important words you may want to
include in your writing. Having this reference list will help your writing flow
more because you will not have to stop to think of how to spell the big words.
4. Now, write a draft of your
paragraph (or paper), focusing on the content or ideas. If you have a computer,
it is best if you type your draft directly on the keyboard. This will make it
much easier to proofread and revise.
5. Proof and editing: you will need
specific techniques and strategies to proofread your paper, checking for
appropriate use of punctuation, capitalization, and grammar. Then use a spell
checker to fix your spelling.
6. Revise your paragraph,
incorporating the corrections you determined above.
7. Proofread your paragraph again,
editing and revising if necessary.
8. Develop a final product, either
in typed or written form.
An easy way to remember these steps is to think of the word POWER.
P -
plan your paper (step 1)
O - organize your thoughts and ideas
(steps 2 and 3)
W - write your draft (step 4)
E - edit your work (steps 5, 6, and
7)
R - revise your work, producing a
final draft (step 8)
The student may need substantial modeling at each stage to be successful.
Some dysgraphic students have great difficulty with spelling, especially if sequencing is a major issue for them. Additionally,
many dysgraphic students experience dyslexia, a sequential processing problem
that affects reading and spelling. These students need very specific remedial
assistance in learning to spell phonetically. It is critical that they are able
to represent unknown words using good phonetic equivalences. If they are able
to spell logically and phonetically, they will be able to use a
phonetically-based spell checker, such as a spell checker in one of the
A Little Poem Regarding Eye halve a spelling chequer Eye strike a key and type a word As soon as a mist ache is maid Eye have run this poem threw it |
Another vital aspect of remedial assistance that is especially important for young children, involves the student's pencil grip. Students should be helped and encouraged to use a consistent and efficient pencil grip right from the beginning of their writing experience. The distance from the student's finger to the pencil point should consistently be between 3/4"-1". Pressure on the pencil should be moderate, not too heavy and not too light. The angle of the pencil should be approximately 45% with the page and slanted toward the student's writing arm. The long edge of the student's paper and his writing arm should be parallel, like railroad tracks. With some young students, pencil habits can be changed to a more appropriate form by using a plastic pencil grip (many of which are on the market in a variety of shapes and formats), It is much easier and more efficient to encourage students at the very beginning of their writing experience to develop these appropriate habits through frequent modeling and positive feedback. Older students who have developed firm habits, even if the habits are not efficient, find that it is very time consuming to make changes. Therefore, when making a decision on adapting a student's habits, it is extremely important to consider the time/energy ratio. Is it worth the amount of time necessary to make the change to help the student be more efficient? If not, it is critical to make sure the student has efficient and automatic compensatory strategies. |
Many students with dysgraphia are extremely
slow in their writing performances. When this is the case, it is critical
to determine what is causing the slowness. Is it the formulation of ideas? or
the organization of ideas? If so, more work needs to be done on
pre-organization strategies and this student's language formulation skills need
to be thoroughly assessed by a speech and language pathologist. Is the
student's slowness a result of slowness in actually making the letters? If this
is the case, the student needs much more remedial practice in forming letters
independently, without having to think about content. This should be done using
multisensory techniques, including saying the letter and/or the sequence of
movements while writing the letter; using large air writing techniques (writing
the letter in the air using two fingers, with wrist and elbow fairly straight,
though not rigid); writing letters in texture, such as on fine sandpaper or in
pudding; and writing large letters using a squirt bottle of colored water
against an outside wall.
Some students struggle with writing and become readily fatigued with the process of writing because of their inefficient
pencil grip and poor motor sequencing. Many times an occupational therapist,
especially one using a sensory integration philosophy, can help in the remedial
process with such students. There are also temporary remedial techniques a
teacher or parent can use as warmups or as a writing break. Some suggestions
for helping relieve stress and relaxing the writing hand follow. Students can
perform any of these for about 10 seconds before writing or in the middle of
writing.
* Shake hands fast, but not violently.
* Rub hands together and focus on the feeling of warmth.
* Rub hands on the carpet in circles (or, if wearing clothing with some mild
texture, rub hands on thighs, close to knees)
* Use the thumb of the dominant hand to click the top of a ballpoint pen while
holding it in that hand. Repeat using the index finger.
* Perform sitting pushups by placing
each palm on the chair with fingers facing forward. Students push down on their
hands, lifting their body slightly off the chair.
Compensatory strategies
The overall goal of compensations is to help the student perform more
automatically and still participate in and benefit from the writing task. The
goal is to allow the student to go around the problem so that she can then
focus more completely on the content. Some example strategies include:
Understanding-Understand the student's
inconsistencies and performance variabilities.
Print or cursive-Allow the student to
use either form. Many dysgraphic students are more comfortable with manuscript
printing.
If getting
started is a problem, encourage
pre-organization strategies, such as use of graphic organizers.
Computer-Encourage student to become
comfortable using a word processor on a computer. Students can be taught as
early as 1st grade to type sentences directly on the keyboard. In doing so, do
not eliminate handwriting for the child: handwriting is still important but
computer skills will be invaluable for longer and important tasks.
For older
students, encourage use of a speech
recognition program combined with the word processor so the student can
dictate his papers rather than type them. This increases speed and efficiency
and allows the student to focus more completely on complex thoughts and ideas.
Encourage
consistent use of spell checker to
decrease the overall demands of the writing task and encourage students to wait
until the end to worry about spelling.
Encourage use of an electronic resource such as
the spell check component in a Franklin Language Master® to further decrease
the demands. If student has concurrent reading problems, a Language Master®
with a speaking component is most helpful because it will read/say the words.
This author prefers the Language Master 6000 because of its large font size and
speech clarity.
Do not count off
for poor spelling on first drafts,
in-class assignments, or on tests. However, depending on age, student may be
held responsible for spelling in final drafts completed at home.
Have student proofread papers after a delay, using a
checklist of the points to check. If stu dents proofread immediately after
writing, they may read what they
intended rather than what was actually written.
f necessary, shorten writing assignments.
Allow extra time for writing activities.
Note taking: Provide student with copy
of completed notes (perhaps through
a note taking buddy who can use carbon paper) to fill in missing parts of his
own notes.
Note taking: provide a partially
completed outline so the student can fill in the details under major headings.
As a variety, provide the details and have student fill in headings while
listening.
Allow student to tape record important assignments
and/or take oral tests.
Staging: have students complete tasks
in logical steps or increments instead of all at once.
Prioritization: stress or de-emphasize
certain task components during a complex activity. For example, students can
focus on using descriptive words in one assignment, and in another, focus on
using compound sentences. Also, design assignments to be evaluated on specific parts of the writing process
(prioritization).
Remove neatness as a grading criteria,
except on computer-generated papers.
Reduce copying aspects of tasks, such
as providing a math worksheet rather than requiring student to copy problems
from the book. A copying buddy can be
helpful in copying the problems using carbon paper.
Have younger
students use large graph paper for
math calculation to keep columns and rows straight. Older student may use loose
leaf paper turned sideways to help maintain straight columns.
Allow and
encourage use of abbreviations for
in-class writing assignments (such as b/4
for "before" or b/c for
"because"). Have the student keep a list of appropriate abbreviations
in his note book and taped to his desk for easy reference. Begin with only a
few and increase as the first few become automatic.
Reinforce the positive aspects of student's efforts.
Be patient.
Encourage student to be patient with
himself.
A note on creativity
Dysgraphia does not have to limit creativity, as identified by the sample below
composed on a computer by a 12-year-old dyslexic and dysgraphic student.
a) First draft of creative story as
typed by 12-year-old student:
the way I descride a bumby ride is like wothgan mowtsarts mowsek. eshe bumby
rowd is like a song. Eshe bumb is the a note eche uncon at the sam time ste is.
that was the mewstere to mowts mowsuk it was vare metereus and unperdekdable.So
the next time you drive down a bumby theak of mowtsart.
b) Same story. Student read to
teacher using his draft:
"The way I describe a bumpy ride is like Wolfgang Mozart's music. Each
bumpy road is like a song. Each bump in the road is a note. Each bump is
uncontrolled at the same time it still is controlled. That was the magic to
Mozart's music. It was very mysterious and unpredictable. So the next time you
drive down a bumpy road think of Mozart."
A note regarding development
of word processing skills
Many dysgraphic students have difficulty with correct fingering in keyboarding
skills. However, it is important to expose students to the correct fingering to
develop quick visual locating skills for letters on the keyboard, ideally
without having to look each time. One important strategy is to have the student
practice keyboarding skills approximately 10 minutes a day (this can be part of
a homework assignment). The student should use a variety of child-oriented
typing tutor programs and work to develop appropriate skills to the best of her
ability. At the same time, whenever the student types for ideas or content,
whether a word, a sentence or a whole paragraph, she should be allowed to use
whatever fingering she wants. Eventually, the goal is for the student to
automatically incorporate at least some correct keyboard fingering when typing
content. This author has seen dysgraphic students use a combination of correct
keyboard fingering with their own style and reach typing speeds of 60 wpm. With
this degree of speed and efficiency, it is unnecessary to force a student to use standard keyboarding techniques. However,
many students do begin to use the correct techniques, as this is often much
more efficient. However, if practice with correct fingering is avoided or not
used frequently enough, the student will never have the opportunity to
incorporate the correct skills.
References
Acosta, Simone and Richards, Regina G. "Cursive Writing: A Multisensory
Approach," in 1999 So. California Consortium Resource Directory, International Dyslexia Association,
www.retctrpress.com
Franklin Electronic Publishers, 800/BOOKMAN
Levine, Melvin D. Developmental Variation
and Learning Disorders, 2nd ed.,
www.epsbooks.com
Levine, Melvin D. Educational Care: A
System for Understanding and Helping Children with Learning Problems at
Home and in School, www.epsbooks.com
Levine, Melvin D. Keeping A Head in
School, www.epsbooks.com
Richards, Regina G. When Writing's a
Problem, Riverside, CA: RET Center Press, www.retctrpress.com, rev. 1999.
Richards, Regina G. The Writing Dilemma:
Understanding Dysgraphia, Riverside, CA: RET Center Press,
www.retctrpress.com, 1998.
Related articles
Many appropriate related articles can be found in the Spring 1998 issue of Perspectives, the magazine of the
International Dyslexia Association (www.interdys.org). This issue focused on
the theme of technology and learning disabilities and includes the following
articles which relate to dysgraphia:
Jerome Elkind (The Lexia Institute, Los Altos, CA) "Computer Reading
Machines for Poor Readers."
Charles A. MacArthur, Ph.D. (University of Delaware) "Assistive Technology
for Writing."
Marshall H. Raskind, Ph.D. (The Frostig Center, Pasadena, CA) "Assistive
Technology for Individuals with Learning Disabilities: How Far Have We
Come?"
Thomas G. West (Visualization Research, Washington, D.C.) "Words to
Images: Technological Change Redefines Educational Goals."
Marshall H. Raskind, Ph.D. and Toby Shaw, M.A. (The Frostig Center, Pasadena,
CA) "Assistive Technology for Persons with Learning Disabilities: Product
Resource List."
Diagnosis of dyslexia and dysgraphia
Green, Jane Fell and Moats, Louisa Cook. "Testing: Critical Components in
the Clinical Identification of Dyslexia," in The Emeritus Series, International Dyslexia Association,
www.interdys.org.
Richards, Regina G. "The RET Assessment for Dyslexia," in The Source for Dyslexia and Dysgraphia
(due out August 1999 by LinguiSystems).
Richards, Regina G. The Writing Dilemma:
Understanding Dysgraphia, Riverside, CA: RET Center Press,
www.retctrpress.com, 1998.
About the Author:
|
Regina G. Richards, M.A., began her work in bilingual education, working on curriculum development and test design. She has authored books on language development, reading strategies, and classroom visual development, and throughout her years of working in education, she has presented a wide range of workshops at conferences. Since 1970, she has been an instructor at the University of California Extension Programs at both the Riverside and San Diego campuses. She is director of the Richards Educational Therapy Center and Big Springs School, both of which serve many dyslexia and dysgraphic students. She was president of her local branch of the International Dyslexia Association for seven years and continus to be actively involved. |
Publications by Regina G. Richards
<SMALL>Home Page | What's New | ABCs of LD | In Depth | First Person
| Calendar |
Audio Clips
Kid Zone | Finding Help | LD Store | Talk Back | Bulletin Boards |
Search</SMALL>
<SMALL>© Copyright 1996-1999 WETA.</SMALL>