Re: Handwriting, paper, etc.

[Guest guest]

Been there! For a long time everyone (teachers, my parents, and

myself) were all worried about my DS' poor handwriting. He hated

writing and would become so frustrated. Homework took forever! Then

one day I realized that if he could spell the word and use the

correct punctuation, who cares if he writes neatly or in the lines.

He has a parapro and we started having him dictate his answers to

the parapro during school and to me for homework. Things went much

smoother after that. He does write much more now on his own but his

handwriting is still really bad (he's 11). Mostly he types book

reports & other projects when he can. ly, this is a

typewritten world we live in so who cares about penmanship anyway.

I recommend that you request his IEP states that he be allowed to

have a scribe when necessary (during tests or homework) and be

allowed to use whatever paper he wants. If he absoluely has to

write a paragraph during a test, make sure he is allowed extra time

to do it. If he needs the big lined paper for a while, so be it.

Good luck!

>

> Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be

using

> regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

>

> Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a

night,

> and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook

paper,

> with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long.

He can

> barely form his letters without direction yet!

>

> The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

ridiculous.

> We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit

in the

> chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's

writing, he

> can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it

done,

> he's not paying attention to the content.

>

> We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of you

could

> share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on how

to

> request changes in his IEP?

>

> Thanks,

> Donna

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

You might want to request an Alphasmart. My son's school bought one for him to

use while he was attending that school, and it lowered everyone's frustration

level tremendously. They still made him practice his handwriting, tho.

Pat-Mom to Josh and Sara (17 yo and 14 yo, both AS)

<ceezeec@...> wrote:

Been there! For a long time everyone (teachers, my parents, and

myself) were all worried about my DS' poor handwriting. He hated

writing and would become so frustrated. Homework took forever! Then

one day I realized that if he could spell the word and use the

correct punctuation, who cares if he writes neatly or in the lines.

He has a parapro and we started having him dictate his answers to

the parapro during school and to me for homework. Things went much

smoother after that. He does write much more now on his own but his

handwriting is still really bad (he's 11). Mostly he types book

reports & other projects when he can. ly, this is a

typewritten world we live in so who cares about penmanship anyway.

I recommend that you request his IEP states that he be allowed to

have a scribe when necessary (during tests or homework) and be

allowed to use whatever paper he wants. If he absoluely has to

write a paragraph during a test, make sure he is allowed extra time

to do it. If he needs the big lined paper for a while, so be it.

Good luck!

>

> Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be

using

> regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

>

> Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a

night,

> and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook

paper,

> with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long.

He can

> barely form his letters without direction yet!

>

> The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

ridiculous.

> We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit

in the

> chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's

writing, he

> can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it

done,

> he's not paying attention to the content.

>

> We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of you

could

> share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on how

to

> request changes in his IEP?

>

> Thanks,

> Donna

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hello

My son is in 3rd grade and his class/grade is just starting to write

on regular notebook paper.

The following is what we do and what we have found works for us.

In Kinder. , 1st and part of 2nd we tried to get him to sit down at

the table to do homework and it took hours with lots of frustration.

Now we have a mini trampoline for him to bounce on or we let him sit

on the floor or on the bed. He does move around but we get the

homework finished in a much shorter time period.

I am allowed to scribe for him when it is busy work or when he is

having a tough day.

Math problems - I read the problem he tells me the answer and I write

it.

Writing assignments - He dictates to me the story. I write it out and

he copies it on to the homework paper.

When he does do the writing we give him a reward.

We also us a white board and he can write out his answers on it and I

write them on the paper.

My son learns the material and the homework gets done.

Also at school if the teacher sees he is having trouble with the

writing a scribe is to help him. He also can go to the learning

resource room and get help there from the teacher. Or he is to bring

it home and we do the assignment at home.

This is all in his IEP. We have had no problems with his teachers on

this.

Tell them how much time a night it takes to do homework and what you

go through.

Homework can be modified/shortened.

I hope this helps.

H.

On Oct 2, 2006, at 8:12 PM, Donna B wrote:

> Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be using

> regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

>

> Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a night,

> and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook paper,

> with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long. He

> can

> barely form his letters without direction yet!

>

> The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

> ridiculous.

> We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit in

> the

> chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's writing, he

> can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it done,

> he's not paying attention to the content.

>

> We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of you

> could

> share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on how to

> request changes in his IEP?

>

> Thanks,

> Donna

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My sons teacher told us to use regular notebook paper. I found

quickly that this was not going to work. I went and bought that

brown paper with the big lines and I use it for homework. I also

sent it to school and let the teacher know that was what we would be

using. I do not know how happy she was about it but with all the

things that they push on the children now days I think they can

compromise. The important thing is that the child writes and gets

better and better. If it requires to start with bigger paper I

really do not see the problem. Any way that is what we are doing and

it is so much better for both of us. Now that Devin is not

frustrated with the size (which slow handwriting is a AS trait)he

has gotten more control.

Lenore

>

> Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be

using

> regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

>

> Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a

night,

> and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook

paper,

> with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long.

He can

> barely form his letters without direction yet!

>

> The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

ridiculous.

> We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit

in the

> chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's

writing, he

> can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it

done,

> he's not paying attention to the content.

>

> We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of you

could

> share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on how

to

> request changes in his IEP?

>

> Thanks,

> Donna

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My sons (now 17 and 21) all began on the wide-ruled. I know at

school they sometimes had that " other " paper, but I recall just

buying the wide-ruled by the time my twins began (now age 17 so

perhaps can't remember too accurately, LOL).

I recall always just buying the regular notebook paper. I don't

think they even went to college-ruled until...middle school maybe?

Maybe 5th grade. But they certainly used it (wide-ruled) a few

years.

My Aspie son had trouble writing small too. He wrote as large as he

could on the paper.

>

> Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be

using

> regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

>

> Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a

night,

> and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook

paper,

> with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long.

He can

> barely form his letters without direction yet!

>

> The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

ridiculous.

> We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit

in the

> chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's

writing, he

> can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it

done,

> he's not paying attention to the content.

>

> We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of you

could

> share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on how

to

> request changes in his IEP?

>

> Thanks,

> Donna

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My son Trevor is ten and I'm having a heck of a time this years with

his writing. In addition to having AS, he's a leftie, which makes

his handwriting even more illegible at times.

Getting him to sit down and write spontaneously can be a real chore.

I had a meeting last week to set up his 504 and when we came to the

portion that mentioned scribe, everyone else sitting in on the

meeting (teacher, principal, school psych, etc) said they felt Trev

didn't need a scribe.

For those parents who's children have a stipulation for scribe in

their IEP's, can you tell me---has it helped your situation with

your child to have an accomodation made in this area?

I'm wondering if I should have asked more questions in regard to

this portion of his 504. It was an odd meeting anyway, because I'm

fairly new to all this and I didn't feel like any of them really

knew WHAT was going to help Trev. It feels like a trial-and-error

situation to me.

Anyway, I'm curious to get some input.

Thanks a bunch!

Nikki

>

> > Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be

using

> > regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

> >

> > Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a

night,

> > and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook

paper,

> > with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long.

He

> > can

> > barely form his letters without direction yet!

> >

> > The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

> > ridiculous.

> > We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit

in

> > the

> > chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's

writing, he

> > can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it

done,

> > he's not paying attention to the content.

> >

> > We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of

you

> > could

> > share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on

how to

> > request changes in his IEP?

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Donna

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Oh shoot, my son is also a lefty and he is in first grade. He already has

horrible handwriting. Jo

ms_nikki24 <mistress_nixtress@...> wrote: My son Trevor is ten

and I'm having a heck of a time this years with

his writing. In addition to having AS, he's a leftie, which makes

his handwriting even more illegible at times.

Getting him to sit down and write spontaneously can be a real chore.

I had a meeting last week to set up his 504 and when we came to the

portion that mentioned scribe, everyone else sitting in on the

meeting (teacher, principal, school psych, etc) said they felt Trev

didn't need a scribe.

For those parents who's children have a stipulation for scribe in

their IEP's, can you tell me---has it helped your situation with

your child to have an accomodation made in this area?

I'm wondering if I should have asked more questions in regard to

this portion of his 504. It was an odd meeting anyway, because I'm

fairly new to all this and I didn't feel like any of them really

knew WHAT was going to help Trev. It feels like a trial-and-error

situation to me.

Anyway, I'm curious to get some input.

Thanks a bunch!

Nikki

>

> > Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be

using

> > regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

> >

> > Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a

night,

> > and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook

paper,

> > with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long.

He

> > can

> > barely form his letters without direction yet!

> >

> > The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

> > ridiculous.

> > We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit

in

> > the

> > chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's

writing, he

> > can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it

done,

> > he's not paying attention to the content.

> >

> > We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of

you

> > could

> > share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on

how to

> > request changes in his IEP?

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Donna

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Nikke, whenever the school team refuses a service or support recommended,

get their refusal in writing. Pam :0

[Guest guest]

my 14 year old Aspie Son also has terrible hand writing, and is a leftie as

well, the school made accommodations for him in this area on his IEP, he does

not have to write, he tells the SPED teacher in his words what he wants on

paper, and she writes it down, also for tests, he can answer the questions out

loud, in math they said he doesn't have to answer all the questions, only a

couple, but he has to get 100% on those 2 questions, and if he does, the

reward is he is done with the test, he also gets extra time, which he very

seldom

uses, once he is done, he refuses to go back and check his answers. Lynda

[Guest guest]

Hi,

we do the same as , but we also requested and received an Alpha

Smart for our son when he was in 2nd/3rd grade to help alleviate his

struggles with writing. This is like a mini lap top that has only 4

lines showing instead of a full page screen. It has the spell check

too and several files.

My ds is now in 7th and we also have the scribe accomodation in the

IEP. We also have shortened writing assignments written into the

IEP to help relieve the stress. This has helped a great deal for

our ds.

Kirsten

>

> Hello

> My son is in 3rd grade and his class/grade is just starting to

write

> on regular notebook paper.

>

> The following is what we do and what we have found works for us.

>

> In Kinder. , 1st and part of 2nd we tried to get him to sit down

at

> the table to do homework and it took hours with lots of

frustration.

> Now we have a mini trampoline for him to bounce on or we let him

sit

> on the floor or on the bed. He does move around but we get the

> homework finished in a much shorter time period.

>

[Guest guest]

My son, 's, biggest problem is getting what he's thinking onto

paper. He can tell you the most fantastic stories, full of detail and

color and expression - his " broadcasts " of imaginary sporting events

are legendary in our family! - but when he writes the stories down,

you get " the sky was blue. the sun was yellow. " Part of it, I believe,

is because writing is still very difficult for him, despite receiving

occupational therapy through his school and at a local therapy center.

His script is beautiful - his printing is atrocious, but his script is

beautiful! - but it takes forever for him to write even just one

sentence. Another part to it is that there's an unexplained " glitch "

in the wiring in his brain that won't allow him to transform his

thoughts into written words.

used an AlphaSmart when he was in the 5th and 6th grades (he was

in a multi-level/grade special ed class then) and he uses the

computers at school and our family computer: Using the AlphaSmart and

the desktops at school helped as far as time goes - his typing skills

are better than his writing skills - but it is still very difficult

for him to get words from his head to his hand.

Per his IEP, can use a tape recorder and then use the computer

to transcribe what he records; he can dictate while I type (very

useful when there's alot that needs to be said!); essay tests, with

the exception of state-mandated ones, can be administered as oral

exams, and he is allowed extra time to complete written assignments.

His teachers don't want him to lose his writing skills so they're

encouraging him to write as much as possible instead of relying on

typing on the computer or dictating to me (one thing they do is let

him use wide-ruled paper - it's easier for him to have more space to

work with than using college-ruled paper), but we are looking into a

voice-activated word processing program for next year, when he enters

high school.

> >

> > Hello

> > My son is in 3rd grade and his class/grade is just starting to

> write

> > on regular notebook paper.

> >

> > The following is what we do and what we have found works for us.

> >

> > In Kinder. , 1st and part of 2nd we tried to get him to sit down

> at

> > the table to do homework and it took hours with lots of

> frustration.

> > Now we have a mini trampoline for him to bounce on or we let him

> sit

> > on the floor or on the bed. He does move around but we get the

> > homework finished in a much shorter time period.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Yikes. Sounds really stressful for all the kids! I would look up the school

standards for that grade level. Ask your principal to provide them if you can't

find them on your school or state website. They usually have a listing of all

curriculum standards for each grade level - what each level will learn. That

should help regarding the handwriting question. I have a 6 yo first grader now

(not AS/HFA) and he could never write on lined paper like that. He still has a

long way to go.

I would also request an OT eval and help from the OT to learn writing skills, if

necessary. And request an alpha smart so he can type on all assignments that

are not about handwriting quality. It is silly to go nuts over handwriting this

soon, IMO. I sometimes would scribe for my kids on homework because it is so

hard for them to write.

Roxanna

( ) Handwriting, paper, etc.

Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be using

regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a night,

and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook paper,

with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long. He can

barely form his letters without direction yet!

The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is ridiculous.

We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit in the

chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's writing, he

can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it done,

he's not paying attention to the content.

We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of you could

share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on how to

request changes in his IEP?

Thanks,

Donna

[Guest guest]

Why would they say he doesn't need a scribe? I assume you went to the meeting

with plenty of examples and reasons as to why you felt he DID need help. So why

did they say he did not need help?

You can ask to have the OT work with him on handwriting. There are programs out

there ( " Handwriting without tears " for instance) that they could use. I would

also request an alphasmart.

We've had scribe in my older ds's IEP in middle school. And yes it helps. I

would ask for an OT evaluation to get started and then I would keep gathering

samples and reasons and have another meeting soon to address it again. Keep

pushing to get help. If they don't like your idea, what is their idea to

address the problem? Ask them this.

Roxanna

Re: ( ) Handwriting, paper, etc.

My son Trevor is ten and I'm having a heck of a time this years with

his writing. In addition to having AS, he's a leftie, which makes

his handwriting even more illegible at times.

Getting him to sit down and write spontaneously can be a real chore.

I had a meeting last week to set up his 504 and when we came to the

portion that mentioned scribe, everyone else sitting in on the

meeting (teacher, principal, school psych, etc) said they felt Trev

didn't need a scribe.

For those parents who's children have a stipulation for scribe in

their IEP's, can you tell me---has it helped your situation with

your child to have an accomodation made in this area?

I'm wondering if I should have asked more questions in regard to

this portion of his 504. It was an odd meeting anyway, because I'm

fairly new to all this and I didn't feel like any of them really

knew WHAT was going to help Trev. It feels like a trial-and-error

situation to me.

Anyway, I'm curious to get some input.

Thanks a bunch!

Nikki

>

> > Is it standard/typical for a five-year-old first grader to be

using

> > regular notebook paper for handwriting assignments?

> >

> > Our son's teacher routinely gives our son 45 mins of homework a

night,

> > and now has requested he start doing it on wide-ruled notebook

paper,

> > with the goal being regular college-ruled paper before too long.

He

> > can

> > barely form his letters without direction yet!

> >

> > The homework itself is really easy for ds, but the amount is

> > ridiculous.

> > We spend the 45 mins (sometimes more) fighting to get him to sit

in

> > the

> > chair, to write neatly, etc., and when I ask him what he's

writing, he

> > can't tell me half the time -- he's just focused on getting it

done,

> > he's not paying attention to the content.

> >

> > We have an IEP coming up in two weeks, so I was hoping some of

you

> > could

> > share what is and what isn't standard, and maybe some ideas on

how to

> > request changes in his IEP?

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Donna

> >

> >

> >