Hi Mamas,
My almost 18 yr old DD mentioned to me that the only thing she's concerned about for her AP English exam this Thursday is that she can't write quickly enough to adequately respond to the writing prompts for the test. She says she has no trouble thinking about what to write or how to organize it, it's just her writing speed that holds her back, and that she definitely writes more slowly than anyone else in her class. I'm honestly not too worried about what her final score is for this particular test, but if she scores a 3 or above she won't have to take the UC writing placement exam, which will save her time and will save us $120.
Does anyone have any suggestions on how she might be able to increase her handwriting speed in the next couple of days? I know we probably should have addressed this a couple of years ago when she mentioned it affected her timed-writing scores in class, but some how it kind of slipped by us. Please don't suggest OT. While it would probably would help (and make the most sense), there's just not enough time to pursue it right now. I'm not worried about her writing speed for college. She's a wicked fast typist, and plans to take notes by laptop.
Thanks!
Thanks for all of the suggestions. I sat down with my DD and had her write out the "quick brown fox" sentence several times using different grips on the pen and in cursive vs. print. She does seem to grip the pen a bit tightly, but otherwise her movements were economical and, I thought, actually not particularly slow. She's not taking time to make things beautiful, although I'm pleased to say that her handwriting is far more legible than mine! (What can I say? I trained for a career in medicine! :-D)
I noticed that there's a few letters she hesitates on, like cursive z, p, q, and f. Since at least z and q are used less frequently, I suspect that she may have never really developed sufficient muscle memory to differentiate between those 4 quickly, and actually needs to think about writing them. I suggested that she spend 5 minutes a day writing out each letter as quickly as possible for an entire row to try to develop that muscle memory -- maybe it will help.
Thanks for those who suggested that some accommodation might be needed for college tests. I'll make the suggestion to my daughter. It will be up to her to pursue that path if she feels she needs to. So much more is done by computer at colleges these days, it might not be much of an issue.
Too late to do anything except practice increasing her speed at home. Questions her as to why she writes slowly: is it because she's a perfectionist and needs to write "beautifully" ??? If so, try to get her past that mental need and accept that "sloppy, but fast" is ok.
It's too bad you didn't see an ot sooner. My oldest has this problem and is only 9 but the school accommodates him by allowing him to use the computer for timed tests. I have no suggestions on how to quickly improve it but she should get it looked into further because it will effect her college testing abilities. She may need some type of accommodations for exams in college.
Have her copy a few words in her handwriting, and have her try different hand positions, or postures, or different ways to hold the pen. Observe her. Is she gripping the pen like she's hanging on for dear life? Or is the pen really loose? Is she bending her arm funny? My daughter holds the pen really really weird and it affects her handwriting legibility and speed. If your daughter's gripping too hard or bending her wrist at a weird angle, handwriting won't flow easily. Watch her write a few sentences and see if she is spending too much time on extra loops or squiggles.
Try having her do some finger wiggling which might loosen up her hands.
Is this too silly? print if its fast. hubby always prints and is super fast.
When my son was having handwriting issues, his OT recommended modeling clay to strengthen his hand muscles- not playdough (it's too soft)
You bring up a good point. As a teacher, I am noticing that most students don't even learn cursive anymore. That's really weird to me! I would think it would be easier to write quickly in cursive than printing.
At any rate, while I don't have any overnight miracles, I do want to say GOOD LUCK to your daughter and best wishes!
personally, i think writing in cursive is faster because you don't have to pick up your pencil as often. Maybe have her write an essay in cursive and then print. Time both and see which is faster.
good luck to your daughter. sorry i couldn't be of more help.
I understand what you're going through. My 8th grader has a really hard time completing in-class writing assignments because he writes so slowly, and doesn't use cursive. He is in all honors, and with high school just around the corner, I've become very concerned about the pace at which he writes. We've started the process to have some sort of accommodation put in place for him, that will be on file, and that will hopefully follow him into HS. (It's not just that he writes slowly, he has ADD and is a bit slower to process and organize his thoughts and get them on paper.)
It's a shame that they don't teach cursive in school anymore, or more accurately, they don't have time to teach it anymore. I'm sure it would make a difference. I try to encourage both my kids to practice, practice, practice, but it's just not a priority for them. Once again, I vow to have them practice a few minutes everyday this summer!!!
I would encourage you to speak to her school counselor to see if a written letter of accommodation can be put on file, as it is too late for an IEP or 504 to be started. It's possible she will be able to take this to the test with her and see if they will give her extra time, but it's probably a long shot.
She may write too neatly, too small, too big, or form her letters wrong. Here's an example...try printing your name normally, and then write it by starting all the letters at the bottom instead of at the top. It takes a lot longer, even if you're used to it. So, observe her writing for small flaws like that.
Is cursive faster or slower for her? Time her writing a paragraph both ways. To make sure she doesn't do it faster the second time because she's already heard it or read it, you can try to make a paragraph with the same words but in a different order (switch the sentences around, etc.) See what's faster.
Encourage her to not be a perfectionist with neatness. Look at doctors with their terrible handwriting...and it probably comes from the TONS of note taking they had to do, and learning to write fast. I don't think anyone will fault for messy handwriting, unless it's illegible.
Can she use shorthand? Like the & sign instead of writing out 'and' and stuff like that. Maybe for the next few nights until the test, have her write a mini essay or something similar to what she is going to have to do and time it. Is she worried about neat handwriting?
Practice practice practice.
Perhaps she should start a journal so she writes every day.
Any notebook will do although there are blank books that people use for this purpose.
With lot's of practice, she'll get faster and still retain much of her neatness.
