Writing difficulties can make school highly taxing on your child. Receiving either informal or formal (e.g., though an IEP or 504 plan) accommodations and modifications can help them be more successful. The following is a list of suggestions that could be presented to their school:
- Allow the student to use a word processor or text to speech software
- Incorporate the use of outlines and templates to help the student formulate their ideas
- Decrease the amount of note taking required or provide handouts of the material
- Provide an aide to help the student write their answers during tests
- Allow extended time for the student to complete written assignments and tests
- Teach the student how to effectively brainstorm ideas
- Cover different genres of writing in class and teach the student skills for writing to an audience
- Provide samples of strong writing and help the student identify what makes the writing effective
- Create a sheet of common writing errors for the student to use when writing
- Allow the student to use different mediums for assignments (e.g., a poster instead of a paper)
- Use multiple choice questions to test the student’s knowledge of grammar, sentence structure, etc.
- Break writing assignments into smaller parts
- Avoid assigning high volumes of written work
- Do not penalize poor handwriting
References:
Burau, D.E., & Reinstein, D.K. (2018). Applying the results of neuropsychological and psychological assessments: A manual for teachers and specialists. New York, NY: Routledge.