Most often, it has been asked whether dyslexia affects the writing skills of a child. Well, the answer is ‘yes’. Reading and writing are closely related, so dyslexic students with reading difficulties have writing difficulties as well. Writing consists of the act of writing, executive function and working memory. Children with dyslexia may experience difficulty in any or all of these areas which can lead to poor writing. In this blog, we’ll discuss common writing challenges faced by dyslexic students.
What are Common Writing Challenges Faced by Dyslexic Students?
Challenges with writing skills for dyslexic students can manifest in different ways. Writing consists of both the writing process and the written product. The writing process involves planning organization, writing, reviewing, and editing for a specific purpose. The written content or product is the final result of the writing process. Children with dyslexia who face writing challenges can receive support from Orton Gillingham Tutor.
Grammar and Syntax
Most students learn grammar rules through reading, but since students with dyslexia have issues with reading, they are often unable to do this. Due to this fact, their writing is likely to have grammatical mistakes, such as phrases or sentences written out of sequence, missing pronouns or inappropriate verb endings.
Poor Vocabulary
Dyslexic students often have a limited or poor vocabulary. Since they find it difficult to read, they are weak in reading comprehension. Since they are weak in vocabulary, they are unable to write accurately. As a result, they take too much time to write. In addition, they are less likely to focus on using different words or advanced vocabulary.
Poor Organization
Dyslexic students may be weak in executive function skills. It means that they have issues developing a plan for their writing. Overall, their writing is likely to be disorganized. Their writing may not be in order. By enrolling in tutoring in Toronto, dyslexic students can learn to read, write and spell effectively.
Poor Handwriting
The handwriting of dyslexic students is often difficult to read. It was thought that poor motor control led to handwriting challenges. However, poor spelling skills can also lead to poor handwriting. When students with dyslexia don’t know what letter to write next, they hesitate and it results in less fluent writing. Most often, students take time to write letters and words.
Orton Gillingham’s Approach for Reading, Writing, and Spelling
The Orton Gillingham Approach is a direct structured way to support dyslexic students with reading, writing and spelling. It is a structured multisensory approach. Orton Gillingham’s approach uses direct and explicit instructions, which means Toronto Tutor never assumes that dyslexic students know how to read and write without being taught the word structure.
Orton Gillingham’s Approach supports dyslexic students through multisensory modalities, using visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile. In this approach, a letter is shown to the students, the letter’s name is stated, and the letter is sounded aloud while writing. Orton Gillingham’s Approach improves spelling, handwriting, and written expression and supports students with improved critical thinking. Once the students have gained strong foundational literacy skills, such as the ability to write letters and understand letter-sound and spelling patterns, they can spend more time improving reading comprehension and writing skills.
Important Components of Orton Gillingham Approach
Multisensory
The teaching of new concepts involves using visual, auditory, and kinesthetic methods. This means that students learn language by listening, speaking, seeing, and writing.
Structured, Sequential and Cumulative
The instruction starts with basic skills and progresses to more advanced concepts through direct and explicit teaching.
Flexible
Orton Gillingham Tutors can tailor instruction to individual student needs through assessment, differentiation, and grouping.
Language-Based
The instruction begins with the fundamental structure of language, focusing on sound/symbol relationships and gradually moving to more complex concepts such as higher-level spelling rules.
If you find your child with dyslexia struggling with reading, writing, or spelling, you can receive support from tutors at Class in Session.