Would it be wrong to do some of difficult child's homework for him?

[lonelyroad]

LOL, OMG this brings memories back....my son is in Grade 12, graduating with close to 90 percent and I typed all of his assignments until Grade 10...I took his rough copy and typed it word for word, sometimes difficult....once in Grade 1 he started typing on computer and editting himself.
Do I think this hurt him? Nope his marks prove that.
I also coloured many maps and pictures for him as his mototr skills have never been great and to me, kids should not be marked on their art work unless it is an art class. lol..

 

[DammitJanet]

Im with Kathy on this one for one reason. Your sons reasoning. Now I think he should have typed some of it and then you should have taken over. Personally I think you should have made sure he was doing some of it each day but I know how hard that is. been there done that. The fact that he was whining about saying he wasnt going to write the paper a third time just got to me. yeah...so what? Thats the way it goes. You turn in a rough draft, the final draft and then you turn in the typed version. Get used to it, it is gonna be that way for a long time to come in his educational life.

My oldest son is dysgraphic and writing is extremely hard for him. His handwriting looks like chicken scratch. Making him write by hand is like pulling nails. He wanted to use the computer for all of it but they forced him to do the first two parts by hand. In high school they add the outline to it. By college its even worse with note cards, free writing, the the rough draft, final version and typed copy. Of course in college only the note cards have to be in hand writing. It took him two times to pass English because of his dysgraphia. They dont make accommodations. Heck he wasnt allowed to use the computer in junior high or high school even with an IEP. Nor a scribe. I guess we were too early for those to be popular. We just forced him to do it.

 

[InsaneCdn]

They dont make accommodations. Heck he wasnt allowed to use the computer in junior high or high school even with an IEP. Nor a scribe. I guess we were too early for those to be popular. We just forced him to do it.

The fact that you could even "force him to do it" means that your son's level of dysgraphia is no where close to my difficult child's. (Not that your son's wasn't seriously bad... just that my son's is way worse than that...) It is physically impossible for him to accomplish 10% of grade-level work by hand... even if he does NOTHING ELSE in his life - nothing but school and homework all day, 7 days a week. "Force" isn't an option...

To make a comparison... it would be the equivalent of Tony insisting that you keep the house spotlessly clean, every single day. Of course you "can". Right? (NOT... I understand that part... but as a comparison to what some kids face with writing issues...)

 

[Marguerite]

These days there are other options including Dragonspeak. difficult child 3 uses that to do his writing tasks. He is a good typist, but finds that if he can dictate to his computer, it is easier for the flow of his thoughts. It is an option for you to consider for your son, to let him add to his computing skills and program his own Dragonspeak preferences so IN FUTURE he can read his notes into the computer. Of course, he would still need to check it over and do some editing, but it is good to expand on existing skills.

What I've done with my kids - in times of extreme stress (yes, even after it's their own flamin' fault because they didn't organise themselves) I have stepped in and said, "Dictate it to me." They're not allowed to snarl at me or be rude, because I will just get up and leave. It's amazing how fast they can find their manners...

I've also sat with my kids and got them to mind-map. Sometimes I will draw it, but they have to say what word they want, where and also how to connect it all together. Especially with a kid who has problems organising him/herself, a mind map can really help them see the forest for the trees after all.

I also let the teacher know what help I have given. That way nobody is in the dark. It also helps the teacher know how much help, and what sort, was required. If the teacher doesn't know, then they think the kid can perform at that level any time.

Marg

 

[LittleDudesMom]

I know that all disabilities have levels. My son has dysgraphia and I can tell you that this is a disability that can get better managed. But as most posters have indicated, having the correct supports in place is key at school -- also, an understanding of which type of dysgraphia your difficult child has.

For my son, I can remember as far back as kindergarden, him missing recess because he couldn't write the morning sentence in his daily journal. It was a struggle for him every single day. As time moved on and he qualified for an IEP (and we realized it was an Learning Disability (LD)) I was his scribe, with the conditions that others have mentioned (including my signature at the bottom of everything). A wonderful Occupational Therapist (OT) in middle school gave me tons of fabulous graphic organizers and we found the one that made the most sense to difficult child and was the easiest for him to use when getting prepared for a writing assignment.

As time continued to go by we realized that the computer was a fabulous option. If they were supposed to begin a writing assignment at school, he would use the graphic organizer idea to make just a few "notes", then type the assignment at home (or at school - his IEP called for a computer for lengthy writing assignments). He had to print out his rough draft, but it was sooooooo much easier to go back in and make the corrections and changes on the computer than writing it all over! He also was given the accom of his state writing test on the computer.

Things can get better. Here's a great website for you to check out:http://www.handwriting-solutions.com/ It is a great resource - make sure you read the section that describes the types of dysgraphia.

Sharon