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Improving writing skills


WaitForMe

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I've touched on this in a couple other threads, and figure its time to start focusing on doing something rather than worrying.


DD1 is 8yo going into grade 3. We are in vic so the past year has been a shocker obviously. Her report has shown progress in all areas except writing, in which she is sitting at mid year 1 level, so she is effectively 18 months behind. The comments are useless, they give me zero indication of what the problems are so I'm going off my own observations.


Her writing is messy and laboured. She doesn't hold the pencil correctly, and will put up a big fight when I try to correct how she holds it. Her memory of how to spell words isn't great. She can read words that she can't write.


I'd like to spend some time working on her writing over whats left of the holidays and wondering what is the best way to go about it. DH is thinking of getting her to write letters to family members, which I think is a good idea but I want something more targeted. I had a look at the Kumon books online but the writing ones use American spelling and I'm not sure which book to get anyway - eg does grade 2 correlate to Aus grade 2?


I remember from my own schooling, there was alot of 'look, cover, write, check' with word lists - is this still done and if so are there set word lists I should use?


Also wondering if one of those pencil grips could be useful for her.

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If the budget stretches to it, I'd suggest an OT. A lot of private health will cover a few sessions, if that's an option. That would be good for letter formation and working out if a pencil grip would help (as well as being easier to listen to a stranger rather than 'just mum' :roll: There's also shaded paper with different colours for the different lines (brown, green, blue - you can actually google for it and then print on your home printer rather than buying) to help work out which parts of the letters go in which bit. Another thing that worked for us was actually smaller lines rather than bigger, although I guess that would be something that an OT would be better able to help with.


From my memory of home learning (at the risk of triggering myself/others)... look, cover, write, check was used (my 5yo loved having to roll a die to get which word to practice next).


There's the Oxford word list: https://www.oxfordowl.com.au/oxford-wordlist - it also looks like they have resources on how to use them, although I haven't looked in detail.


My kids who hate writing like to have a writer's notebook where they have collected pictures and words for helping with writing e.g. a bit of wrapping paper with Santa, and the words Christmas and stocking, or a picture of some kids in the pool from a catalogue... something they're interested in, with some tricky words maybe in there to help them out a bit.


Something else that really motivates them is having their work 'published' i.e. they write, then they edit (looking up words, checking spelling and punctuation with an adult's help) and then sit with parent or teacher who types it up with them. Then they get to make a picture or something to go with it (if yours like that, one of mine hates drawing too so that doesn't motivate him).


Also, if she can write something she can add it to the shopping list - we did that for a bit to get ANY writing happening. The rule was one or two little things e.g. 'Skittles' or 'Pringles'. Was very incentivising ;)


Also consider other fine motor activities - those Hama beads, a mosaic kit - lots of cool craft kits around that might inspire her. I tried to get ones for a slightly younger age just so that they are easy and show results quickly. Too fancy is too hard and therefore discouraging.


Our school has been really focusing on improving writing results with NAPLAN (I know, I know) and there has been a lot of explicit teaching - this is a narrative, look at that 'wow' word, how about a sizzling start? You can go back to reading aloud with her at night and start pointing out the various features of texts as well.


Editing and reading aloud her writing is also really important. Lots of people are terrible at spelling, but teaching how to look up words or to get it down on paper first and then worry about editing (and then how to edit) could really help.


It would probably be good to work out what's getting in the way? Is it mechanical? Is it confidence or fear of failure - if you don't know how to spell the word you want, you then get frustrated and don't try, or you write something easier rather than what you actually wanted? Is it all of the above? The ideas I have kind of cover different aspects of each.

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Oh, and modelling!!! Obviously with home learning the kids have seen a lot of us writing, and DH and I have been making it a bit of a thing to ask each other to read over what we've written with a tricky email etc.

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ClaudiaCosette

If the budget stretches to it, I'd suggest an OT. A lot of private health will cover a few sessions, if that's an option. That would be good for letter formation and working out if a pencil grip would help (as well as being easier to listen to a stranger rather than 'just mum' :roll: There's also shaded paper with different colours for the different lines (brown, green, blue - you can actually google for it and then print on your home printer rather than buying) to help work out which parts of the letters go in which bit. Another thing that worked for us was actually smaller lines rather than bigger, although I guess that would be something that an OT would be better able to help with.

 

 

My suggestion was an OT, too, if part of the issue is the fine motor skills of holding a pencil. My DD who has fine motor issues is a lot younger, so we haven't worked on actual writing yet, but our OT is brilliant in getting her to practice using a pencil, crayon or whatever for drawing practice. And DD does a lot more for the OT than she will do for me!

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I posted a similar query on the old eb site a couple of years ago and got a lot if useful tips. Like others have said though it depends what the issue is. My son's poor gross motor skills are the reason he has poor handwriting skills(he's neat but very slow) so he gets tired from writing very quickly. Three suggestions that have been good for him have been: a great OT who he enjoys going to each week;plastacine(my ds loves lego so he enjoys making stuff with plasticine too to add to his games) and a stabilo easy ergo mechanical pencil-much easier to write with than normal pencils so less tiring. My son is still behind in writing( just finished yr3)but is steadily making progress,and his teachers understand his issues and make accommodations for him.

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You don't need a referral - I just googled 'OT primary school handwriting' in my local area. Most schools seem to have a couple they usually work with (I got 'in trouble' for using a different one) but I don't think it necessarily matters.


I wanted someone who could do school or home visits rather than having to go to their rooms, purely for convenience.

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Not all health funds cover OT. There is a chronic disease management plan from the GP that can cover 5 allied health visits per a year but I can’t remember how to qualify for it. Even then is doesn’t cover all of an OT, just gives you access to a Medicare rebate. So basically you don’t need a referral and will likely be out of pocket...

Things out OT worked on was:

Hand strength: things like playdough, scrunching up paper to make balls, Lego, threading beads.

Back to basics on the formation of letters. We ended up using ball and stick letters rather then the proscribed state handwriting.

Normal exercise books. Weirdly my child finally gained legible handwriting skills once we left behind the handwriting books. I suspect they just confused the matter

Pencil grip, we went back to a triangle pencil, then moved on to the finer castel pencils that have a grip on them and also trialled a number of different pencil grips. We found one eventually that worked best and 6 months of that improved his grip massively.


As for the actually writing and composition part of it. Get her to write as much as you can. Anything and everything. Sound things out as you write so you are modelling. But in saying that don’t nit pick on the spelling because it can impact on the motivation to write. Work on spelling separately (you want a phonological approach but there are lots). There is also a program that my child did for part of this year that was really good. It’s called Talk for Writing and is one recommended by SPELD (dyslexia association). Maybe if you can find someone local who delivers it?


We also do sentence games using cards. They are called Stretch a Sentence and Word Works 1 and 2. These work on syntax, compound words and grammatical structure but also adding details. While having some fun making silly sentences. They also make is much easier for me as a parent to help in these areas as I don’t have to try and figure it out myself.


For your info too, there is a learning disorder called dysgraphia. Motor dysgraphia is mostly in relation to the motor skills required to write and specific learning disorder in writing refers to dysgraphia which is impacted by planning out writing, constructing written language and issues with grammar, syntax and formation of words (and spelling). Motor dysgraphia can be diagnosed by an OT and usually involves using alternative tools such as typing and speech to text. Specific learning disorder in writing requires an education psychologist assessment.

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Do I need a referral for an OT?


I don't have extras cover but happy to pay for it if its useful.

You don't need a referral, just approach directly. It can be expensive though.


Writing is complex so i would recommend getting at least some professional advice. Writing has so many components and you need to know which parts of the writing process are causing the problems:

- knowing and remembering what she wants to say

- being able to come up with correct words and grammar for what she wants to say

- spelling

- letter formation, speed of handwriting, fluency and comfort of handwriting

- memory - there are so many steps that memory/attention can let you down before the words get to paper

- fine motor and core strength and fatigue - many kids don't do well in handwriting tasks simply because their muscles fatigue


If you don't want to spend too much money I suggest asking for an assessment from an OT to work out which aspects of the writing process she is struggling with. Then ask for a home program to work on the individual components. Review with the OT when you can afford it, eg every 4-6 weeks is OK if you are doing a home program.


When practising at home, I would also do tasks which practise one or two of the components of writing. Ideally doing this once you have identified the problem areas.

eg

for letter formation, using handwriting books and worksheets

for spelling, writing individual words (note improving her spelling will take a long time and will need you to work with the teacher)

for a child who fatigues quickly, let them write interesting things on a keyboard instead of handwriting, eg the letters to family members

In fact using a keyboard to help with the thinking, language, grammar and spelling aspects of writing is great because it takes pressure off the letter formation part

for difficulty putting ideas together, talk it through with her. Get her to answer simple questions or write simple statements rather than having to write a big story. Say each sentence out loud together before starting to write.

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OTs are expensive even with private health. If you live in a city with a uni you could check out their OT clinics. My son goes to one. He gets a 4th year OT student(so very enthusiastic)supervised by a fabulous very experienced OT and it only costs $30 for 45 minutes.

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Not all health funds cover OT. There is a chronic disease management plan from the GP that can cover 5 allied health visits per a year but I can’t remember how to qualify for it. Even then is doesn’t cover all of an OT, just gives you access to a Medicare rebate. So basically you don’t need a referral and will likely be out of pocket...

 

You need to have another, chronic condition - the implication is that the allied health visits are about supporting your care needs as a result of that condition, although I can't find that written anywhere in the five minute google I just did. For us, the GP wrote it as a result of DS's astigmatism which was possibly a bit of a stretch but obviously the GP is the expert here.

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Lots of great ideas above.


Without knowing your child but having a guess from what you've written she probably has low tone and tires easily and writing is really hard for her. Can you check that she uses her non-dominant hand as a 'helper" hand to hold her paper. That may help somewhat. She probably uses it to hold her head up as she tires and that would contribute to the messiness. A slanted board can help too. But an OT can tell you all this if it's going to be useful.


What I really wanted to suggest is to just do activities that are fun and will build up her core strength at the same time. She's probably starting to hate writing as would we if we had to do something over and over that we were really bad at and found tiring too. If you strengthen her core she will be stronger and have more endurance and you can put some writing type things in there too.


If you can, get some thera putty and hide little things inside. Make a game of it for the whole family where you have to work through the putty blindfolded and then guess what was hidden inside. Great for exercising hand and finger muscles. Do barrow walks, handstands and cartwheels if she can. Give her a bucket of water and paint brush to paint the house. Those big arm movements are great therapy. Paint pictures on an easel. Chalk drawings on the driveway, hopscotch etc. Play games with chopsticks where you have to pick things up (like cotton balls) and move them into another container. Lots of colouring in and dot to dot activities. All these games and activities will help.


I also love the idea of writing a couple of items she'd like on the shopping list, functional and fun.


Good luck and have fun.

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Not all health funds cover OT. There is a chronic disease management plan from the GP that can cover 5 allied health visits per a year but I can’t remember how to qualify for it. Even then is doesn’t cover all of an OT, just gives you access to a Medicare rebate. So basically you don’t need a referral and will likely be out of pocket...

 

You need to have another, chronic condition - the implication is that the allied health visits are about supporting your care needs as a result of that condition, although I can't find that written anywhere in the five minute google I just did. For us, the GP wrote it as a result of DS's astigmatism which was possibly a bit of a stretch but obviously the GP is the expert here.

 

I wasn’t sure as both my kid’s have other conditions that can impact these things. And yes and OT is expensive. But often even just a few sessions like once a fortnight for a little while where they assess and then provide a therapy plan you can do at home can be helpful.

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Too tired to care

Please arrange to see an OT, as others have suggested her poor grip and writing is probably due a specific issue and will only be corrected by seeing an OT for specific exercises, etc. I and my children have hyper mobility and low muscle tone and this is an indication of those issues and needed specific aids and exercises to get the grip and legible writing.


Please don't make her work on her writing over the holidays, this will only reinforce the poor grip and poor writing, the exact opposite of what she needs.


If you are in NSW you can get GP referral for local community health centre, but wait is usually 12 months. Alternatively a health care plan from the GP provides subsidises for about 5-10 visits to a private OT. Private OT where i live also have a 6 month wait, so i would put her on both waiting lists and then you can go from the private to the public when your name comes up.


Some things we have done are :

- Putty with beads in it , using pincer fingers, pinching only, will begin to help to strengthen correct muscles.

- Play a game with some plastic tweezers from the $2 shop and some craft pom poms, race to see who can get the most into their container.

- Grabbing some colouring in sheets and using a push pin ( thumb tack but with the plastic bit on top that looks like a top hat? ) to prick the outlines using the pincer grip. (i then got them to paint the pictures as a bit of fun.)

- Anything where you use pincer grip will be good

- Using shaving cream on a tray and getting her to write with her pointer finger.

- If she is writing it is easier for people with this issue to write upright or on a slope, we used a plastic document holder but there are other better suited to the task.

- And core strengthening exercises- as meljibau mentioned.

- as a pp mentioned, pencil grips. The OT may have you trial a few to see which one works best. My DD uses a ball grip , while my DS uses a soft triangle grip. I use a weighted pen with a squishy grip. so they are very individual. You can try a few if you want from https://www.thetherapystore.com.au/product/the-pencil-grip/. They are great.

- if you have local OT even if they have a waiting list you might be able to purchase the putty and the grips from them while you are waiting.

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I tried OTs, I tried pencil grips, I made endless trips to the school to talk to the teacher about things to try, I had him in tutoring where they did exercises to help with his writing...nothing helped. In grade 6 he rolled his eyes at me and told me 'mum, in the future no one will use pens/pencils anyway. I type way better than other people'. I talked about it with DH who said he had a point, that HE didn't use pens much at work these days (maybe once a week?). I talked to his teacher and she agreed that in high school he'll probably be able to get by with rubbish handwriting. I don't know, it really bugged me that he'd given up.

So....I may not win mother of the year for this.....I kind of scared him into trying harder. I said 'what are you going to do if all the electronics in the world collapse and you have to resort to writing'. He rolled his eyes and said as if that's going to happen, so I told him about EMPs. I told him how the world has created an archive of electronic information to be used in the event of a catastrophic failure. The wold is PLANNING for it. Expecting it. I know him well enough to know that he would google it and discover it to be true. Around this time there was a close call with a meteor and that coupled with the craziness of Covid I played to advantage and he's quietly started writing more neatly.

So there you go, that's how I handled it, make of it what you will LOL.

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I’d suggest also seeing an ot to get advice. But also doing things that improve both core and fine motor skills.


Threading

Cutting and pasting

Colouring in with the proper grip

Hand putty

Little tongs

Games like giggle wiggle.

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Kiwi Bicycle

In regards to getting the 5 Medicare rebated sessions, you are best to see an OT for an assessment first ( pay out of your own pocket), then you go to th GP and someone like the nurse does the paperwork ( you have to have an OT name and infornation for them to include on the paperwork, plus any reports). This gets processed and the OT gets the OK to medicare charge your 5 sessions.

Some prjvate health funds allow you to access psychological / speech therapy/OT as a rebate. Some only pay an amount say $ 40 for each session you claim spread over the year until your limit and, others allow say $ 300 worth striaght away in a quick hit.

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Thanks all. I've found an OT not far and very close to her school. Sounds like she would come to us though, which I don't really like. No idea if the school would let her do sessions there, especially atm.


I've also noticed Officeworks has a range of pencil grips so I might grab a few from there to give a go over the break. Personally, I'm not overly bothered getting her to do some things that feel like schoolwork over the break, she did plenty of free ranging during the school year while DH and I worked.


She loves hama beads, they have them at OSHC and she comes home with something almost every day she attends but will get some for home too. She likes sewing too.

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There’s been lots of good advice here. I’ll echo that a good OT can achieve amazing results that I never could. It’s worth finding an OT that works with children, particularly if they know the local schools. Ours runs really good holiday programs which are lots of fun in a group situation. Pencil grips never worked for DS (funnily enough they never worked me either. I still have a less than perfect pencil grip, but hold my scalpel perfectly). He found that his writing was actually better with a pen, or a mechanical pencil (they have a much narrower lead). DS is now working on planning skills for writing. Improving general fine motor (Lego is great ) and core strength really helps as well.

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Guest BusbyWilkes

Thanks all. I've found an OT not far and very close to her school. Sounds like she would come to us though, which I don't really like. No idea if the school would let her do sessions there, especially atm.


I've also noticed Officeworks has a range of pencil grips so I might grab a few from there to give a go over the break. Personally, I'm not overly bothered getting her to do some things that feel like schoolwork over the break, she did plenty of free ranging during the school year while DH and I worked.


She loves hama beads, they have them at OSHC and she comes home with something almost every day she attends but will get some for home too. She likes sewing too.

 

Most schools aren’t allowing therapist visits currently, due to being non-essential visitors (COVID related), though they would usually be able to liaise with the teacher regarding recommendations. It may be worth asking here for recommendations, if you’re happy to post your general location.


The other thing worth considering if a possible speech pathology assessment with a speechie experienced in literacy issues. IME there may be a combination of motor issues (eg OT for handwriting) and literacy (spelling, grammar, for SP). I’d start with an OT, but if her handwriting improves (being able to form letters, spacing between letters and words, placement on the line, speed), without a matching improvement in actual written work (writing stories, answering written questions) then consider a SP assessment.


For PP whose son mentioned not needing handwriting, it’s also worth knowing that it is exceptionally hard to get permission for use of a keyboard in ATAR/VCE exams. Schools may allow use in lower years, including for tests and exams, but approval for year 12 exams is via the over riding education body of each state. For any kids who are possibly considering year 12 and uni entrance, it’s important to consider this.

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ClaudiaCosette

I still have a less than perfect pencil grip, but hold my scalpel perfectly).

 

Interesting that you should mention this, because it reminds me that I also don't hold my pencil properly, even now as an adult. I use four fingers to hold it, instead of three. Obviously no one during my school days ever picked up on this, and it was only when I met my now DH and he noticed and pointed it out to me (and has teased me about it ever since). When I was at uni I wrote pages and pages by hand, and would get callouses on my ring finger because that's where the pencil sits, but my actual handwriting is fine (better than DH's!)

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This issue arose when my son was in grade 2 as well.


Turned out that he inherited hyperflexible fingers from me (no idea I had them either). One OT assessment was all it took as we were given a formal report for the school, exercises (which he still won't do but that's another issue - stubbornness) and the details of an online store to buy special pencil grips. He tried a few pencil grips to work out which one felt the most comfortable during the session - there are many out there so that was really helpful.


He also started writing with a mechanical pencil and things became a lot easier. You do not need to press hard to make a mark with these.


I had no idea he was in pain while writing. The pain could actually impact on spelling and so forth.


I believe each state has a writing book where you write letters and words and learn to form these properly- I got him one of those to complete to help with legibility. He managed to get a pen licence this year - grade 5. He needs a fountain pen with a rubber grip.

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I still have a less than perfect pencil grip, but hold my scalpel perfectly).

 

Interesting that you should mention this, because it reminds me that I also don't hold my pencil properly, even now as an adult. I use four fingers to hold it, instead of three. Obviously no one during my school days ever picked up on this, and it was only when I met my now DH and he noticed and pointed it out to me (and has teased me about it ever since). When I was at uni I wrote pages and pages by hand, and would get callouses on my ring finger because that's where the pencil sits, but my actual handwriting is fine (better than DH's!)

That’s what my pencil grip is - four fingers. I also still have a callous from writing so many exams over many years. I’m hyper mobile as well (as is DS), so I think it was just more comfortable.

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