It's been quite a while since I've visited here, but I always get great advice and so I'm back for more.
My son, age 8, has ADHD but is not on medication. We have gone through a behavior modification course which has worked quite well for him. He is currently homeschooled, which is something I would be doing even if he didn't have ADHD. My problem is that he is in 3rd grade and doesn't like to write anything that is longer than a word or two. It's not that he doesn't have anything to write. Sometimes I'll have him do the writing assignment orally and he has wonderful ideas, good grammar, and good sentence structure. He is a good speller as well. The problem is with the actual mechanics of writing. My theory is that it is because he has ADHD--in other words, his brain is working fast and writing is slow. I'm worried that he isn't learning to write as much as other 3rd graders. I think there's a point where I'm going to have to figure something out.
One program I have tried is the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Their writing program is great. Instead of presenting a student with a blank piece of paper and saying "write a paragraph on what you did over summer vacation," the IEW program will give very specific instructions on what to write, how to make an outline, and most importantly there are checklists so the student can check off things as he writes. My ADHD son works well when there is a checklist.
However, this program hasn't been as successful as I thought it would be with him. Even with the checklists and whatnot he still hates to pick up his pencil and write down what he says out loud. It's such a source of frustration for us that I haven't assigned a writing task in weeks. He will do short tasks, like copying spelling words, cursive copy practice (His cursive practice is immaculate. It's not like he doesn't know how to make the letters), short answer worksheets, etc. He will not write if the answer is longer than one or two words. He will not write an outline or paragraph. He will dictate a paragraph while I write it, but he will not write.
We tried teaching him computer skills, but 8 year olds are very slow typers and after a couple of weeks he gave up on typing and does not want to try it anymore.
My question: Could there be something else the matter with him besides ADHD, or is this a common symptom of ADHD? If it's the latter, what can I do to get him to write stuff?
My son, age 8, has ADHD but is not on medication. We have gone through a behavior modification course which has worked quite well for him. He is currently homeschooled, which is something I would be doing even if he didn't have ADHD. My problem is that he is in 3rd grade and doesn't like to write anything that is longer than a word or two. It's not that he doesn't have anything to write. Sometimes I'll have him do the writing assignment orally and he has wonderful ideas, good grammar, and good sentence structure. He is a good speller as well. The problem is with the actual mechanics of writing. My theory is that it is because he has ADHD--in other words, his brain is working fast and writing is slow. I'm worried that he isn't learning to write as much as other 3rd graders. I think there's a point where I'm going to have to figure something out.
One program I have tried is the Institute for Excellence in Writing. Their writing program is great. Instead of presenting a student with a blank piece of paper and saying "write a paragraph on what you did over summer vacation," the IEW program will give very specific instructions on what to write, how to make an outline, and most importantly there are checklists so the student can check off things as he writes. My ADHD son works well when there is a checklist.
However, this program hasn't been as successful as I thought it would be with him. Even with the checklists and whatnot he still hates to pick up his pencil and write down what he says out loud. It's such a source of frustration for us that I haven't assigned a writing task in weeks. He will do short tasks, like copying spelling words, cursive copy practice (His cursive practice is immaculate. It's not like he doesn't know how to make the letters), short answer worksheets, etc. He will not write if the answer is longer than one or two words. He will not write an outline or paragraph. He will dictate a paragraph while I write it, but he will not write.
We tried teaching him computer skills, but 8 year olds are very slow typers and after a couple of weeks he gave up on typing and does not want to try it anymore.
My question: Could there be something else the matter with him besides ADHD, or is this a common symptom of ADHD? If it's the latter, what can I do to get him to write stuff?