When our kids were reading on a third grade level and able to write sentences on their own without tears of frustration, we transitioned into a formal writing program. To learn more about the use of copy work, dictation and narration, read A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. Narration is where the student tells back what was just read or learned. We also practiced narration, thought to be the precursor to good grammar usage, during history and science instruction. Gradually we transitioned into dictation where I would read the passage and they would write to the best of their ability. This helps with eye hand coordination and handwriting in general. When my dyslexic kids were young and still learning to read, I used large amounts of copywork where they would copy a passage from a good book or a verse or what ever else appealed to them to write. Sit with teacher/mom and go through paper line by line for grammar, spelling, punctuation and organization of ideas. (This can be hard for the perfectionist student by the way!)ĥ. Write the first draft without concern for grammar, spelling and punctuation. Be certain that the point of the assignment is clear and begin to develop thoughts on the subject.Ĥ. Discuss writing assignment with parent or teacher. Having a systematic plan of action for writing will help them overcome this obstacle. Studies have shown that students with dyslexia have a lot of trouble with the pre-writing stage. After this first draft is complete, you can sit with your child and go through the paper together, editing and organizing as needed. Allowing the dyslexic student to focus on content alone at first can be helpful.
Teachers can allow their students to write their first draft, or sloppy copy, without concern for punctuation and grammar.This also helps tremendously with dysgraphia where handwriting can be painfully slow and inaccurate. Allowing the use of a simple tape recorder, recording app or better yet, speech-to-text app can help a dyslexic to say their thoughts without the burden of remembering spelling and grammar rules.This visual representation of their ideas really helps them to remember and order their thoughts. Teaching kids to organize their thoughts before writing them can be very helpful Some kids do well with mind mapping where the main idea is in a bubble in the center of the page and supporting details are written around that in their own bubbles or circles.See our Resource Page for our recommendations on spelling and writing apps that are particularly useful for people with dyslexia. The use of computer programs with spelling grammar checkers can be helpful however many spell checkers cannot decipher the phonetic spelling of dyslexic writers.It can also be helpful to grade a dyslexic student’s papers on content and give more leeway with grammar until these areas are mastered. And as with reading rules, grammar rules should be practiced, practiced, practiced. Grammar should be taught to dyslexic students one rule or two at a time can help.Overcoming Difficulties With WritingĪs with reading, people with dyslexia can spend so much time and effort writing words that the meaning and organization can be lost. Organization: Dyslexics often have trouble organizing their thoughts and sequences are often out of order.ĭysgraphia: The physical act of writing can be difficult. Grammar: Remembering to capitalize and use punctuation while writing is common for dyslexics. There is often a huge difference between what the dyslexic student wants to say and what he or she actually writes.īesides spelling errors, which we will talk I talk about here, other areas affected by dyslexia are:
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Let’s look at some ways we can teach writing to the dyslexic student.īefore we look at how to find a good writing curriculum for the dyslexic student, we need to identify the areas of writing that are most impacted by dyslexia.ĭyslexia is known as a reading disability but it also impacts writing ability. Dyslexia is known as a reading disability but it also impacts writing ability.