research paper

I wrote a post earlier about doing some research so when I was asked by my english teacher to write a research paper I jumped at the chance to write about dysgraphia and to tell my classmates about it. This is the first draft of the paper I wrote so my mom hasn't edited it it has only been edited by me.

I am writing this paper because I have dysgraphia and it is something I want to know more about even though I have it I still don’t understand why I have it this is a question I hope to answer along with these. I want to find out how dysgraphia works, what causes dysgraphia, what others think dysgraphia is, and how to accommodate people with dysgraphia.  I also want to find out how my experience with dysgraphia differs from others and how they are similar.

            Dysgraphia is not very well known throughout the world the fact that no ones quite sure how many people have it is proof to this fact “8-15% of students are said to have dysgraphia” (5) it has a difference of 7% witch is fairly large compared to other things this is because some people who have other learning disabilities also have dysgraphia witch makes it hard to diagnose I who have a mom that diagnoses people for a living was diagnosed by her friend so it also not always something someone automatically goes to I knew something was wrong but she couldn’t see it. People with dysgraphia also have a hard time writing papers because they cant get there ideas in order if you give them an outline of what you want they will follow it to a t because otherwise they don’t know what to do “reviewed research on the characteristics of unskilled writers and concluded that they tend to spend little or no time planning before starting to write, often do not present ideas in a logical order, use very simple sentence structures (or conversely, write long and rambling sentences with repetitive use of conjunctions), produce very little material in the available time, and are reluctant to review and revise their work”(5) This also limits how accommodations work for them because you can let them use a computer to write but that only solves part of the problem. There are various problems that each individual can have when they have dysgraphia they can have all of or only a few of these Some people have trouble with spelling and grammar others have more difficulty with planning papers and actually writing them and others have a hard time getting the papers started but once they get going its easier I tend to have a hard time getting started if I don’t have something like a rubric to go off of as well as trouble with spelling and grammer.

There are some accommodations that work for some people but not others so you have to find what works for that specific person for example “If your child is bringing home grammar exercises that require her to identify parts of speech (nouns, verbs, adjectives) or sentence parts (subjects, predicates, etc.), try using multicolored markers to help her. Give her models to follow like lists of nouns in red, verbs in blue, and so forth. Then ask her to highlight the words in the exercise with the appropriate color. Use squares of multicolored paper with nouns printed on one color, verbs on another, and adjectives on a third. Let your child make a variety of sentences by arranging and rearranging the words. See if you can find a good computer game that will provide plenty of practice.”(1) This may work for some people but for me it wouldn’t help at all I still wouldn’t understand the difference between the verbs nouns and various other grammar structures I also wouldn’t be able to pick them out on my own I would need almost constant help to do it.

            There are different types of spelling errors that various people with dysgraphia make. One kind of error is with written spelling “Patients who were unable to have a mental image of the shape of letters and made, in written spelling, case mixing errors or letter substitution errors between letters having a similar shape”(3) written spelling error happen when someone cant remember how to write a certain letter or switch two letters that look similar. Typing spelling errors are very similar to written spelling errors except that sometimes people hit the wrong key as well as spelling things wrong. Oral spelling errors tend to be substations and switching letters around.

            People often don’t under stand that a learning disability is something you’re born with “there reading and writing difficulties are often attributed to laziness, inattention, or emotional maladjustment.”(4) I have had many teachers call me lazy and say I don’t try hard enough so why should they try to accommodate this laziness of mine. “Dysgraphia is one of the more hidden learning disabilities. It is not readily visible at first glance. In fact, often people who have dysgraphia may be great readers and really smart in a lot of ways, so it is confusing why they seem to struggle so much with spelling, handwriting, and the rules of grammar.”(2)  it made things harder on me because I was trying my hardest and she refused to help me and I’m not the only one dysgraphia is not well known so the people that it affects have a hard time getting others to work with them because often people will ether say its not a real learning disability or they will say that the kid doesn’t really have it so they don’t have to help them.

            Dysgraphia is something that not much is known about but new things are coming out everyday and more and more people find out everyday. My goal in this essay was to answer some questions and I don’t think I found the answers to all of them I don’t know if the answers are out there yet but I hope to keep looking but I did find some things I wasn’t expecting to find like certain accommodations I had never thought of or that I don’t think will work. As well as answers to personal questions I have like what’s part of my learning disability and what’s part of me I sometimes have a hard time drawing the line but this helped it become clearer. All in all I’m glad I wrote this paper because it helped me learn more about something I have to handle everyday.

Works Cited

(1) Adelizzi, Jane Utley, and Diane B. Goss. Parenting Children with Learning Disabilities. Westport: Bergin & Garvey, 2001. Print.

(2) Cardon, Teresa Amber. Personal interview. 17 Feb. 2014.

(3) De Partz, Marie-Pierre, Aliette Lochy, and Agnesa Pillon. “Multiple levels of letter representation in written spelling: Evidence from a single case of dysgraphia with multiple deficits.” Behavioural Neurology 16.2/3 (2005): 119-41. Ebscohost. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

(4) T. T. S. Ingram and Mrs. A. W. MasonThe British Medical Journal , Vol. 2, No. 5459 (Aug. 21, 1965) , pp. 463-465

(5) Westwood, Peter S. Learning and Learning Difficulties : A Handbook for Teachers. Camberwell: ACER, 2004. Print.

bandaids

now i know that this is just my opyon and it doesn't rein true for everyone and all learning disabilities but i believe that accommodations are like bandaids they work for the time being but they don't work in the long run like spell check for me it works until i stump it and when that happened i have to resort to going through a dictionary again (witch is a pain if you don't know how to spell what your looking for its basically guess and check) like i will often spell something so badly that no matter what i do i can't get it close enough for spell check to pick up. and with not handwriting anything it works till my computer crashes then i have to hand write and my notes are illegible and typing doesn't help grammar. there are also problems with similarly spelled words that have two very different meanings. i think that the bandaids work for small amounts of time but eventually we need better and longer lasting bandaids to take over

Edited:
Now I know that this is just my opinion, and it doesn't ring true for everyone and all learning disabilities, but I believe that accommodations are like bandaids. They work for the time being but they don't work in the long run. Like spell check. For me, it worlds until I stump it, and when that happens, I have to resort to going through a dictionary again (which is a pain if you don't know how to spell what you're looking for, it's basically guess and check). Like, I will often spell something so badly that no matter what I do, I can't get it close enough for spell check to pick up. And with not handwriting anything (using a computer instead), it works until my computer crashes, then I have to hand write and my notes are illegible and typing doesn't help grammar. There are also problems with similarly spelled words that have two very different meanings. I think that the bandaids work for small amount sod time, but eventually we need better and longer lasting bandaids to take over.

starting collage (edited - college)

unedited: i have gotten luckey and got into ucas it is a school that only accepts about 10 juniors and 150 sophmores i was applying as a junyor so i was very unlikely to get in im the last one accepted so i am quite pleased about that but it now provideds a more difficult problem that anything i have faced yet. ucas is a school that lets high school students go to collage and graduale with there assoates for free. so i will graduate coloage about a month before i graduate high school not that wouldent be a problem if i diddent have to take english 1010 witch is a class foucoused around writing i had no idea what to do because even though i am going to take that class next year i am still takeing classes where i have to take extensive notes and have to be able to read them so writeing them is not an option so i have to type my notes. now as you may konw from reading my earler posts i have in years past taken notes on my iPod now i thought at the beggining of the year that this is what i was gonna do when i got there the first day though i saw tons of kids bringing there own laptops to school to take notes so i decided to do that instead now that took care of the note takeing problem i thought i was good to go until i had my first test where the essay questions are long and have to be hand written with out special accomdations so i had to fugure out how to get those accomdations with it being a coloage class in a highschool i had to go through bouth the high school and the coloage to get the accomdations so after talking with bouth the coloage counsler and the highschool i got permission to not only type essays but have spelling not count in everything but english. i am very glad i can type my notes and tests its also nice on the parts of tests that i have to hand write even though they dont show up often its nice to know i can be doct for spelling.

Edited: I got lucky and got into UCAS. It is a school that only accepts about 10 juniors and 150 sophomores. I was applying as a junior so it was very unlikely that I would get in. I was the last one accepted, so I am quite pleased about that, but it now provides a more difficult problem than anything I have faced yet. UCAS is a school that lets high school students go to college and graduate with there Associates Degree for free. So I will graduate college about a month before I graduate high school. Now that wouldn't be a problem if I didn't have to take English 1010, which is a class focused around writing. I have no idea what to do because even though I am going to take that class next year, I am still taking classes where I have to take extensive notes and have to be able to read them. So hand writing them is not an option. I have to type my notes. Now as you may know from reading my earlier posts, I have in years past taken notes on my iPod. I thought at the beginning of the year that this is what I was gonna do. When I got there the first day though, I saw tons of kids bringing their own laptops to school to take notes. So I decided to do that instead. Now that took care of the note taking problem. I thought I was good to go until I had my first test where the essay questions are long and have to be hand written (without special accommodations). So, I had to figure out how to get those accommodations. With it being a college class, in a high school, I had to go through both the high school and the college to get the accommodations. After talking with both the college counselor and the high school, I got permission to not only type essays, but to have spelling not count in everything except English. I am very glad I can type my notes and tests. It's also nice on the parts of tests that I have to hand write even though they don't show up often, it's nice to know I can't be docked for spelling.

Tools for dealing with Dysgraphia

unedited: these are somethings that i have found help me with little things like how to spell little words and fix mistakes if not the first time the second. i will make up little rules for how to spell things that i spell often sometimes they stick and sometimes they dont but the ones that stick are very very useful. i also will look for classic mistakes that i know i make every time even though i dont notce it at first going through it a second time helps me fix them like how i always use the wrong witch i dont know how to spell the right one but i can know that im wrong and usualy am allowed to ask how to spell it. i also know that i often dont use capitals so i know when going through a papper to look for words that might be caplized. and lets face it nothing can beat spell check i can usually reli on it most of them time there are always those times when i stump it in witch case i will revert to a dictanry. i am going to put my edited version that only i edit under this then the version that my mom edits under that.

My edited version: These are somethings that I have found help me with little things like how to spell little words and fix mistakes if not the first time around the second. I will make up little rules for how to spell things that I spell often sometimes they stick and sometimes they don't but the ones that stick are very very useful. I also will look for classic mistakes that I know I make every time even though I don't notice it at first going through it a second time helps me fix them like how I always use the wrong which I don't know how to spell the right one but I can know that I'm wrong and usually am allowed to ask how to spell it. I also know that I often don't use capitals so I know when going through a paper to look for words that might be capitalized. And lets face it nothing can beat spell check I can usually rely on it most of them time there are always those times when I stump it in witch case I will revert to a dictionary. I am going to put my edited version that only I edit under this then the version that my mom edits under that.

My moms edited version:  These are some things that I have found help me with little things, like how to spell little words and fix mistakes, if not the first time around, the second. I will make up little rules for how to spell things that I spell often. Sometimes they stick and sometimes they don't, but the ones that stick are very, very useful. I also will look for classic mistakes that I know I make every time, even though I don't notice it at first, going through it a second time helps me fix them. Like how I always use the wrong "which". I don't know how to spell the right one, but I can know that I'm wrong and usually ask how to spell it. I also know that I often don't use capitals, so I know when going through a paper to look for words that might be capitalized. And lets face it, nothing can beat spell check. I can usually rely on it most of the time. There are always those times when I stump it, in which case I will revert to a dictionary. I am going to put my edited version that only I edit under this then the version that my mom edits under that. (Mom's note - She actually is getting better at catching some of her consistent mistakes, but only when she really goes through everything with a fine tooth comb!)

how do i explain this

unedited: ive been think ing of a way to explain my dysgraphia to people that dont have it now im not totaly shure how much sense this makes but this is what i have so far. when i write i dont think about the letters that im typing i type the whole word and dont think about contenet and though i will often hit the wrong key (the weird thig is they keys are almost never even close to each other) i still get a lot of spellings wrong on my own that when i think it through i know how to spell for example when im not thinking about it i spell diddent like this even though when i think about it i know that it is really spelled didn't though some times i think that this is the correct spelling did'nt i dont really understand the apostrphy thing and then there are words i really genuinly dont know how to spell there are a couple in here ill highlight them there arent as many of these generaly they are longer and not even close to how they sound but i still find it weird that i can know how diddent is spelled and still not spell it right there seems to be some sort of disconnect from one to the other i just dont know what. 

Edited: I've been think ing of a way to explain my dysgraphia to people that don't have it. Now i'm not totally sure how much sense this makes, but this is what I have so far. When I write, I don't think about the letters that i'm typing, I type the whole word and don't think about content. And though I will often hit the wrong key (the weird thing is they keys are almost never even close to each other) I still get a lot of spellings wrong on my own, that when I think it through I know how to spell. For example, when i'm not thinking about it, I spell diddent like this, even though when I think about it i know that it is really spelled didn't. Though some times, I think that this is the correct spelling did'nt. I don't really understand the apostrophe thing. And then there are words I really genuinely don't know how to spell. There are a couple in here, i'll highlight them. There aren't as many of these. Generally they are longer and not even close to how they sound, but I still find it weird that I can know how didn't is spelled and still not spell it right. There seems to be some sort of disconnect from one to the other, I just don't know what.

Jobs

Unedited: i have recently relized that it is going to be hard for me to find any job that has writeing in it because i have a hard time with spelling and grammer. the problem is that if i want an internship or when im writeing books or research papers it takes a lot more to edit those papers then it does for someone else so why hire someone that it will be harder to hire. my aunt had a job opeaning and she offered it to my cousin its simmlar to a internship and she told me when i aked what the job was that it ws answering calls and responding to emails so i made the joke that i would be hoorible for thaat because i cant spell and thats when she said thats what made her pause is asking me because she couldent check all the emails for errors so i wouldent be the best person to hire she was nice about it and the fact that she doesnt want to hire me it was the relization that this wont be the first time this will happen that upsets me its frustrating that something i have little to no controll of can affect my future.

Edited: I have recently realized that it is going to be hard for me to find any job that has writing in it because I have a hard time with spelling and grammar. The problem is that if I want an internship or when i'm writing books or research papers, it takes a lot more for me to edit those papers then it does for someone else. So why hire someone that it will be harder to hire. My aunt had a job opening and she offered it to my cousin. It's similar to an internship and she told me when I asked what the job was that it was answering calls and responding to emails, so I made the joke that I would be horrible for that because I can't spell, and that's when she said that's what made her pause in asking me because she couldn't check all the emails for errors. So I wouldn't be the best person to hire. She was nice about it. The fact that she doesn't want to hire me, it was the realization that this won't be the first time this will happen that upsets me. It's frustrating that something I have little to no control of can affect my future.

state testing

unedted:  i mentioned that i was takeing a state test in my last blog it did not have a writing part so i could not find any accomdations to use it was on the computer and consisted of a few spelling quistions that i believe i got wrong and sevral grammer questions there were a lot of reading questions as well. i have an above collage reading level (though shakespear still eludes me) and have always excelled in the reading section of tests. grammer and spelling though i have always struggled with when they give me a question with four sentences each with different puncuation i wont see a difference in any of them they all look the same. and i got sevral of thoses questions i am shure that i got those wrong i am almost postive that i ether got all of or at least most of those questions right. i got the results of the test today i got a c now i am a streight a student and usualy do very well on testing now it wouldent bother me as much dont get me wrong i would have been ticked any way but i would have been able to deal a lot better if it hadent broght my grade down 9% in one shot i had worked hard and done lots of extra credit to get 101% in the class and was very very proud of it especaly because i have disgraphia i had hoped to end the year with at least a 98 or 99% i have been working hard and get a report card every week so you could immagin my suprise when i looked at my eport card today and saw a 92% where i had previously had a 101% i was shocked so i went to the computer lab during lunch and looked at my grade online and saw the state test on my grade i was even more suprised to find that i got a c on it.

Edited: I mentioned that I was taking a state test in my last blog. It did not have a writing part, so I could not find any accommodations to use. It was on the computer and consisted of a few spelling questions, that I believe I got wrong, and several grammar questions. There were a lot of reading questions as well. I have an above college reading level (though Shakespeare still eludes me) and have always excelled in the reading section of tests. Grammar and spelling though, I have always struggled with. When they give me a question with four sentences, each with different punctuation, I won't see a difference in any of them. They all look the same, and I got several of those questions. I am sure that I got those wrong. I am almost positive that I either got all of, or at least most of, the reading questions right. I got the results of the test today. I got a C. Now I am a straight A student and usually do very well on testing. Now it wouldn't bother me as much, don't get me wrong I would have been ticked any way, but I would have been able to deal a lot better if it hadn't brought my grade down 9% in one shot. I had worked hard and done lots of extra credit to get 101% in the class and was very, very proud of it! Especially because I have dysgraphia. I had hoped to end the year with at least a 98 or 99%. I have been working hard and get a report card every week, so you could imagine my suprise when I looked at my report card today and saw a 92% where I had previously had a 101%. I was shocked, so I went to the computer lab during lunch and looked at my grade online and saw the state test included in my grade. I was even more surprised to find that I got a C on it.

whats the cause

unedited: the hardest thing for me with haveing disgraphia is probly the fact that there is only spectulaction about what causes it. i tend to be very analiticle so haveing no cause to say this is what wrong and then with that info fugure out what might help. and might make it so i can do what i want to do in life with little or no help. why dysgraphia will affect me is that i love writeing wether i end up writeing on the side or doing it full time i love to tell stories i also love to read( unlike what some people think dyslexia and dysgraphia are not the same i can read at a coloage reading level it is my writeing that is the problem) witch is where i get my insperation. i want to be able to write and not have to sit next to the editor to explain what i want to say. if i have a point of witch to jump off of to go alright heres the problem and heres how i can fix it its hard that i cant do that. i love hearing what you think of my posts please comment and share your opyons.

Edited: The hardest thing for me with having dysgraphia is probably the fact that there is only speculation about what causes it. I tend to be very analytical, so having no cause to say, "This is what is wrong" and then with that info figure out what might help and might make it so I can do what I want to do in life, with little or no help. Why dysgraphia will affect me, is that I love writing. Whether I end up writhing on the side, or doing it full time, I love to tell stories. I also love to read (unlike what some people think dyslexia and dysgraphia are not the same. I can read at a college reading level. It is my writing that is the problem.) which is where I get my inspiration. I want to be able to write and not have to sit next to the editor to explain what I want to say. If I have a point of which to jump off of to go, "Alright, here's the problem and here's how I can fix it." It's hard that I can't do that. I love hearing what you think of my posts, please comment and share your opinions.

unfair

unedited: i took the Act this saturday. i had no accomadations because i was not takeing the writeing portion. but when i was working on the english section i had a very hard time with grammer i had to guess on a lot of questions. in english right now we are working on grammer witch is really hard for me but there isnt a single accomdation( other than not doing it and i dont think that will fly )i can find for it so i will be takeing the final and the crt (witch i think is like a state test) with a signifcant disadvantige next to the others in my class i hope i can pull the five seconds before the test study trick cuz studying for hours a day doesnt seem to work i just cant seem to remember no matter how much i study. im not saying dont study all im saying is that even though i do study and have tryed for years to get grammer right it still evaids me.

Edited: I took the ACT last Saturday. I had no accommodations because I was not taking the writing portion, but when I was working on the English section I had a very hard time with grammar. I had to guess on a lot of questions. In English right now, we are working on grammar, which is really hard for me, but there isn't a single accommodation (other than not doing it, and I don't think that will fly) I can find for it, so I will be taking the final and the CRT (which I think is like a state test) with a significant disadvantage next to the others in my class. I hope I can pull the five-seconds-before-the-test study trick, because studying for hours a day doesn't seem to work. I just can't seem to remember no matter how much I study. I'm not saying don't study, all i'm saying is that even though I do study and have tried for years to get grammar right, it still evades me.

What I've Found

unedted: in my last post i said ive been doing some reseach here is a little of what ive found i would really apperacte it if you take what i put here and make your own opyons and try to verify it on your own and if you want to share what you find with me i would think that is the coolest thing ever.

these are a list of symptoms i found on the website : http://www.dyslexiaa2z.com/learning_difficulties/dysgraphia/dysgraphia_checklist.html
the ones that are highlighted are my personal symptoms:

checklist on dysgraphia

* Written text very poor considering language development.
* Poor motor control.
* Writing that is almost impossible to read.
* Mixture of printing and cursive writing on the same line.
* Writes in all directions, i.e. right slant then left slant.
* Big and small spaces between words.
* Different sized letters on the same line.
* Mixes up capital letters and lower case letters on the same line.
* Abnormal and irregular formation of letters.
* Very slow writing.
* Very slow copying from board.
* Does not follow margins.
* Grips the pen too tight and with a ‘fist grip’.
* Holds pen very low down so fingers almost touches the paper.
* Watches hand intently whilst actually writing.
* Poor spelling.
* Bizarre spelling.
* Problems with spelling wrong words i.e., ‘brot’ for brought and ‘stayshun’ for station.
* Problems with spelling words such as i.e. drink as ‘brink’.

i have found that there are sub types of dysgraphia
from the same sight these are the differented types highlighted are the things that apply to me personaly.

1. Dyslexic Dysgraphia
In 'Dyslexic Dysgraphia', spontaneously written text is illegible, especially when the text is complex. Oral spelling is poor, but drawing and copying of written text are relatively normal. Finger-tapping speed (a measure of fine-motor speed) is normal.

2. Motor Dysgraphia
In 'Motor Dysgraphia', both spontaneously written and copied text may be illegible, oral spelling is normal, and drawing is usually problematic. Finger-tapping speed is abnormal.

3. spatial Dysgraphia
In 'Spatial Dysgraphia', people display illegible writing, whether spontaneously produced or copied. Oral spelling is normal. Finger-tapping speed is normal, but drawing is very problematic.

Phonological Dysgraphia

1. **Phonological dysgraphia - writing words as a pure 'sound' spelling which is incorrect e.g. writing 'brought' as 'brot' or 'station' as 'stayshun'.

 

Visual Dysgraphia

2. **Visual dysgraphia -writing words, which are correctly spelt apart from some letters being reversed, e.g. 'drink' as 'brink' or the bizarre or abnormal
3. and irregular formation of letters. They may sometimes look fine but they have been produced in an abnormal order of pen strokes.

these are some other sites that i have found intersting

• http://nototherwisespecified.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/dysgraphia-when-its-more-than-bad-handwriting.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia

Edited: In my last post I said that I've been doing some research. Below is a little of what I've found; I would really apperacte it if you take what I put here, make your own opinions, and try to verify it on your own. If you want to share what you find with me, I would think that is the coolest thing ever.

These are a list of symptoms I found on the website : http://www.dyslexiaa2z.com/learning_difficulties/dysgraphia/dysgraphia_checklist.html

the ones that are highlighted are my personal symptoms:

checklist on dysgraphia

* Written text very poor considering language development.
* Poor motor control.
* Writing that is almost impossible to read.
* Mixture of printing and cursive writing on the same line.
* Writes in all directions, i.e. right slant then left slant.
* Big and small spaces between words.
* Different sized letters on the same line.
* Mixes up capital letters and lower case letters on the same line.
* Abnormal and irregular formation of letters.
* Very slow writing.
* Very slow copying from board.
* Does not follow margins.
* Grips the pen too tight and with a ‘fist grip’.
* Holds pen very low down so fingers almost touches the paper.
* Watches hand intently whilst actually writing.
* Poor spelling.
* Bizarre spelling.
* Problems with spelling wrong words i.e., ‘brot’ for brought and ‘stayshun’ for station.
* Problems with spelling words such as i.e. drink as ‘brink’.

I have found that there are sub types of dysgraphia from the same sight. These are the differented types below. Highlighted are the things that apply to me personally;

1. Dyslexic Dysgraphia
In 'Dyslexic Dysgraphia', spontaneously written text is illegible, especially when the text is complex. Oral spelling is poor, but drawing and copying of written text are relatively normal. Finger-tapping speed (a measure of fine-motor speed) is normal.

2. Motor Dysgraphia
In 'Motor Dysgraphia', both spontaneously written and copied text may be illegible, oral spelling is normal, and drawing is usually problematic. Finger-tapping speed is abnormal.

3. spatial Dysgraphia
In 'Spatial Dysgraphia', people display illegible writing, whether spontaneously produced or copied. Oral spelling is normal. Finger-tapping speed is normal, but drawing is very problematic.

Phonological Dysgraphia

1. **Phonological dysgraphia - writing words as a pure 'sound' spelling which is incorrect e.g. writing 'brought' as 'brot' or 'station' as 'stayshun'.

 

Visual Dysgraphia

2. **Visual dysgraphia -writing words, which are correctly spelt apart from some letters being reversed, e.g. 'drink' as 'brink' or the bizarre or abnormal
3. and irregular formation of letters. They may sometimes look fine but they have been produced in an abnormal order of pen strokes.

these are some other sites that i have found intersting

• http://nototherwisespecified.typepad.com/blog/2010/01/dysgraphia-when-its-more-than-bad-handwriting.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dysgraphia

Before I Knew

unedted: before i knew i had dysgraphia i was confused. i knew that there had to be something wrong but i diddent know what so i kept looking for the answer. i looked at dyslexia but i could read really really well so well i was sevral gades above what i was supposed to be so that was quickly ruled out i looked at add or adhd because i have such a hard time foucousing for that my pairents had me tested for the same reasoni was thinking i might have it but again i was wrong and diddent have ether so i looked more into dyslexia and add trying to find out what was wrong with me. then in fourth grade i was askes to be a typicle kid in one of my moms friends studies i dont remember exactly what they had me do but im guessing some of it had to do with writeing or spelling cuz her friend pointed out that i probly had dysgraphia and a little while later he officaly diagnosed it. now you would think "hey that must have cleared up everything and now she knows whats wrong" you would have been right had my pairents chosen to tell me i would have under stood it better but they diddent i kept looking for answers and never finding one by the time my pairents told me i was leaning twards haveing a very strange case of dyslexia. after they told me i still diddent really understand what it ment and kinda used it as an excuse. when i entered tenth grade that changed i started getting more info on it off the internet and started to understand what it ment and what pices of it i had and thoses i diddent. that is where i am now learning more about it and trying hard to understand why its happiningto me and to others.

Edited: Before I knew I had dysgraphia, I was confused. I knew that there had to be something wrong, but I didn't know what. So I kept looking for the answer. I looked at dyslexia but I could read really, really well. So well, I was several grades above what I was supposed to be. So that was quickly ruled out. I looked at ADD or ADHD because I have such a hard time focusing. Because of that, my parents had me tested. For the same reason I was thinking I might have it, but again I was wrong and didn't have either. So I looked more into Dyslexia and ADD trying to find out what was wrong with me. Then in fourth grade, I was asked to be a typical kid in one of my mom's friend's studies. I don't remember exactly what they had me do, but i'm guessing some of it had to do with writing or spelling because her friend pointed out that I probably had dysgraphia. He was actually the one who officially diagnosed it. Now you would think, "Hey that must have cleared up everything and now she knows whats wrong." You would have been right had my parents chosen to tell me. I would have understood it better,  but they didn't. I kept looking for answers and never finding one. By the time my parents told me, I was leaning towards having a very strange case of dyslexia. After they told me, I still didn't really understand what it meant and kinda used it as an excuse. When I entered tenth grade, that changed. I started getting more info on it off the internet and started to understand what it meant and what pieces of it i had and those I didn't. That is where I am now, learning more about it and trying hard to understand why its happiningto me and to others.

Library

unedted: i love reading and read all the time if i could i would live at the library but i have a hard time spelling the titles of the books i like to read. i was at the library and was looking for the book the museam of theves and couldent fugure out how to spell it i tryed sevral times before calling my 12 yearold sister over to help me she couldent spell theves ether but ill admitt she was significantly closer than i was and nither of us relized that museam was wrong so we ignored it eventualy my mom came over to help us spell theves and we still couldent find it and thats when we relized that museam was spelled wrong to so my mom corred that spelling and we found the book unforchinitly i ended up have to put it on hold because it was checked out. this happenes all the time to me and it drives me nuts. i usualy end up asking for help from the libraryan.

Edited: I love reading and read all the time. If I could, I would live at the library. But, I have a hard time spelling the titles of the books I like to read. I was at the library, and was looking for the book the Museum of Thieves, and couldn’t figure out how to spell it. I tried several times before calling my 12-year-old sister over to help me. She couldn’t spell thieves either, but I’ll admit she was significantly closer than I was and neither of us realized that museum was wrong, so we ignored it. Eventually, my mom came over to help us spell thieves and we still couldn’t find it. And that’s when we realized that museum was spelled wrong too. So my mom corrected that spelling and we found the book. Unfortunately, I ended up have to put it on hold because it was checked out. This happens all the time to me and it drives me nuts. I usually end up asking for help from the librarian. 

Word Games

unedited: my family loves to play word games such as banana grams and hanging with friends and other such things. i do not enjoy these games much because i can never win i am always in last place. witch makes it frustrating for me because like the rest of my family i am very competive so i often wont play cuz i see no reason to play a game i can never win. what makes winning hard is that when i see the letters i do not immadatly try and reorgnize them into a word i try to make a word from the existing patterns. i could have the poential for a great word and never know it. this also makes computer word games hard as well cuz the computer only takes the correct spelling at least in non computerized games i can prentend i am doing well in computerized games it can take me from five to ten minnets to find a word witch can be frustrateing. there are many other things to witch this consecpt applies like in school when i am typeing on my phone i will often stump spell check even when im on my computer i will do that and that can be enoying as well if it wasent for my friend who sits next to me in english i would have an even harder time in class than i already do.

Edited: My family loves to play word games such as banana grams, hanging with friends and other such things. I do not enjoy these games much because I can never win. I am always in last place, which makes it frustrating for me because like the rest of my family, I am very competitive. So I often won't play cause I see no reason to play a game I can never win. What makes winning hard is, that when I see the letters, I do not immediately reorgnize them into a word. I try to make a word from the existing patterns. I could have the poential for a great word and never know it. This also makes computer word games hard as well because the computer only takes the correct spelling. At least in non-computerized games, I can pretend I am doing well. In computerized games, it can take me from five to ten minutes to find a word which can be frustrating. There are many other things to which this concept applies; like in school when I am typing on my phone, I will often stump spell check. Even when I'm on my computer, I will do that, and that can be annoying as well! If it wasn't for my friend, who sits next to me in English, I would have an even harder time in class than I already do.

Questions

uneditted: recently i have gotten a comment asking me some questions i hope that this post can answer some if not all of those questions. the first question was what i am going to do about the ACt and the SAT. because i am a sophmore i have not yet taken ether test but i have taken the plan and the psat on bouth tests there were no essays so i diddent have any problems they were all bubbles excpt for a few of the math questions witch leads to the next question they asked they asked if dysgraphia affected me in math it does not for the most part the only problem i have is small and now only happenes occashonaly witch is  i switch my 9's and p's because when i hand write they look simlar i also occoshonally will mix up x and y because they are also simmlar when i hand write i will extend the short arm of the y and it will look like an x then i will add the x's togher and it will skew the answer other than the occashonal messup i do very well in math. the accomdations i have felt are useful are being able to use my phone to type on because on spell check. i also find it useful to have one or two friends around that can help me when i need it but i believe the most helpful thing of all is editing it with my mom when ever she edits something i am right there so i can try to learn from my mistakes it doesnt help all the time but when a test comes i will always remember her comments on any grammer or spelling issue i have had in the past. they also asked how i print my work at school the answer for that is easy i dont my phone is a smart phone and has internet so i will check my work for spelling ask my friend to check my grammer and then email the work to my teacher. i hope this post has answered your questions if you have any more please ask i love being able to answer the questions for once instead of being the one asking them.

Edited: Recently, I have gotten a comment asking me some questions. I hope that this post can answer some, if not all, of those questions. The first question was, what am I going to do about the ACT and the SAT?  Because I am a sophomore, I have not yet taken either test, but I have taken the PLAN and the PSAT. On both tests, there were no essays so I didn't have any problems. They were all bubbles except for a few of the math questions. Which leads to the next question they asked. They asked if dysgraphia affected me in math. It does not for the most part. The only problem I have is small, and now only happens occasionally, which is I switch my 9's and p's because when I hand write, they look similar. I also occasionally will mix up x and y because they are also similar when I hand write. I will extend the short arm of the y and it will look like an x then I will add the x's together, and it will skew the answer. Other than the occasional mess-up, I do very well in math. The accommodations I have felt are useful are being able to use my phone to type notes or assignments on because of spell check. I also find it useful to have one or two friends around that can help me when I need it. But I believe the most helpful thing of all is editing it with my Mom. Whenever she edits something, I am right there so I can try to learn from my mistakes. It doesn't help all the time, but when a test comes I will always remember her comments on any grammar or spelling issue I have had in the past. They also asked how I print my work at school. The answer for that is easy, I don't. My phone is a smart phone and has internet. So I will check my work for spelling, ask my friend to check my grammar, and then e-mail the work to my teacher. I hope this post has answered your questions. If you have any more, please ask. I love being able to answer the questions for once, instead of being the one asking them.

Frustration

unedited - sometimes not being able to spell and do things that others can do is frustrating. sometimes when it takes me four or five times trying to spell a word just to get spell check to pick it up makes me want to scream and throw a tantrum but i have found that takeing a deep breth and counting can help. it also makes it hard when there is no spell check or limited spell check cuz then i can tell if the word is right or not so i have to copy it and paste it in a word document and then edit it. i tutor after school and i have been asked for help in english and have had to turn them down because i cant help them. i cant edit my own work witch is hard cuz it means i have to find someone with the pachents to do it. not being able to spell can also be hard when i have to ask how to spell something thats comon knolage to everyone else. ive also had to substute words instead of others when i just couldent get it to come up on spell check. i have also click on the wrong word in spell check by mistake and not known until my mom looked at it. sometimes it can be really hard and make me want to cry like when i spelled night wrong i know how to spell it but i still spelled it wrong and i dont know why. sometimes the hardest part is not knowing whats causing something to happen. like i dont know why my hands will write one thing when i am thinking another and i dont know why no matter how much i studdy my brain wont learn how to spell. i dont know what is different in my brain hat makes it happen and i would love to know the more infromation you have the easer it can be.

Edited - Sometimes not being able to spell and do things that others can do is frustrating. Sometimes when it takes me four or five times trying to spell a word just to get spell check to pick it up makes me want to scream and throw a tantrum, but I have found that taking a deep breath and counting can help. It also makes it hard when there is no spell check or limited spell check, cause then I can't tell if the word is right or not so I have to copy it and paste it in a word document and then edit it. I tutor after school and I have been asked for help in English and have had to turn them down because I can't help them. I can't edit my own work which is hard cause it means I have to find someone with the patience to do it. Not being able to spell can also be hard when I have to ask how to spell something thats common knowledge to everyone else. I've also had to substitute words instead of others when I just couldn't get it to come up on spell check. I have also clicked on the wrong word in spell check by mistake and not known until my mom looked at it. Sometimes it can be really hard and make me want to cry, like when I spelled night wrong. I know how to spell it, but I still spelled it wrong and I don't know why. Sometimes the hardest part is not knowing what's causing something to happen. Like I don't know why my hands will write one thing when I am thinking another, and I don't know why no matter how much I study, my brain won't learn how to spell. I don't know what is different in my brain that makes it happen, and I would love to know. The more information you have, the easier it can be.

N-I-G-G-T-S

uneddeted-disgraphia is different for everyone and you may not realize how it affects you if you have it i keep relizing things all the time for example just last night i relized somethingi write letters that i dont mean to wright. i will explain a little more i write by ether sounding out the words that i havent memorized how to spell and spell them faneticley the words i have memorized how to spell i spell out in my head saying the letters as i write them or looking at the letters when i type. for example when i wass wrighting down the word nights last night i thought out N-I-G-H-T-S but wrote N-I-G-G-T-S i had thought h but wrote g i have done this sevral times before a's and d's and b's withs p's are just a coupple i wonder why it happenes i have a theory but i will weight to write about it in a later blog. i keep looking for ways to help me with dysgraphia i know that some people suggest therpy but i dont see what  a therepist can do that i cant do myself in this case accomidations work best i have accomdations in school to take notes on my ipod so i dont have to write by hand and can read what i am writeing later. i also have my mom edit everything that i write she edits the edited vershon of my blog posts for me i dont know what i would do with out her.


Edited - Dysgraphia is different for everyone and you may not realize how it affects you if you have it. I keep realizing things all the time. For example, just last night I realized something, I write letters that I don’t mean to write. I will explain a little more. I write by either sounding out the words that I haven’t memorized how to spell and spell them phonetically. The words I have memorized how to spell, I spell out in my head, saying the letters as I write them or looking at the letters when I type. For example, when I was writing down the word “nights” last night, I thought out N-I-G-H-T-S but wrote N-I-G-G-T-S. I had thought “h” but wrote “g”. I have done this several times before: a's and d's, and b's withs p's are just a couple. I wonder why it happens? I have a theory but, I will wait to write about it in a later blog. I keep looking for ways to help me with Dysgraphia. I know that some people suggest therapy, but I don’t see what  a therapist can do that I can’t do myself. In this case, accommodations work best. I have accommodations in school to take notes on my iPod so I don’t have to write by hand, and can read what I am writing later. I also have my mom edit everything that I write. She edits the edited version of my blog posts for me. I don’t know what I would do with out her.

My Experences

unedited: you may be wondering how i managed to edit my last blog post my mother was the one who edited it not me. i always have my mom edit everything i write because i canot edit it myself. a lot of people are mislead to believe that dysgraphia is a fine moter disorder witch is not always the case i do not have any fine moter problems but i still have dysgraphia when im writeing it doesnt occur to me to add puncuation it is often an after thought and i can look at something and only sometimes tell that it is wrong but i dont know how to fix it most times. i have had sevral intresting encounters that had to do with me haveing dysgraphia but the most intresting and one that made me really mad was with my english teacher last year. she had just learned that i had dysgraphia and i needed to take notes on my ipod to make things easer and she says sevral times that i need to just study more i thought that was as bad as it wold get her telling me i need to try harder when i had already tryed very hard and it diddent help one bit but what i learned later that in one of the phone calls between her and my mom she clamed that she could and i quote "break her (me) of dysgraphia" now i am makeing an assumption when i say that she had never heard of dysgraphia before now but even if she had she shouldent go mouthing off about stuff she evidently diddent know anything about because it is impossible to "break" someone of a learing disorder it is part of who they are it is just the way there brain works its not a bad thing. i dont enjoy not being able to do things that other kids can but ive gotten used to it and found things that help me as should anyone with a disorder should do find things that help you accomplish what you want to and never ever think you cant do something because of a disorder.


Edited: You may be wondering how I managed to edit my last blog post. My mother was the one who edited it, not me. I always have my mom edit everything I write because I cannot edit it myself. A lot of people are misled to believe that dysgraphia is a fine moter disorder, which is not always the case. I do not have any fine motor problems, but I still have dysgraphia. When i'm writing, it doesn't occur to me to add punctuation. It is often an after thought and I can look at something and only sometimes tell that it is wrong, but I don't know how to fix it most times. I have had several interesting encounters that had to do with me having dysgraphia, but the most interesting, and one that made me really mad, was with my English teacher last year. She had just learned that I had dysgraphia and I needed to take notes on my iPod to make things easier, and she says several times that I need to just study more. I thought that was as bad as it would get, her telling me I need to try harder, when I had already tried very hard and it didn't help one bit. But what I learned later was that in one of the phone calls between her and my mom, she claimed that she could, and I quote, "break her (me) of dysgraphia." Now I am making an assumption when I say that she had never heard of dysgraphia before now, but even if she had she shouldn't go mouthing off about stuff she evidently didn't know anything about because it is impossible to "break" someone of a learing disorder. It is part of who they are. It is just the way their brain works, it's not a bad thing. I don't enjoy not being able to do things that other kids can, but i've gotten used to it and found things that help me, as anyone with a disorder should do. Find things that help you accomplish what you want to, and never, ever think you can't do something because of a disorder.

Beginnings . . .

creating a blog with disgraphia is a hard thing to do. i created this blog to tell about my experences with dysgraphia. in my experence unlike many people think dysgraphia is not something that can be cured it is something lots of people have to deal with on a daily bases but most do not know they have it i diddent know until last year and diddent realy understand what it intailed until now. at first i thought it was normal but over time i relized i was wrong i couldent do things that the other kids could do and it was very frustrating everyone else could spell write and use grammer with ease but i couldent. i started to think that i might have dyslexia but it diddent add up i could read faster than most kids in my class. i could also understand what i was reading more and faster than all of the other kids. when i was fourteen i got my answer my mom is a speech pathologist and had known since i was in fourth grade that i had dysgraphia but diddent want to tell me thinking i would give up trying when little did she know that i had stopped trying to learn how to spell a long time ago. with this bloog i am planing on showing my storie of growing  up with dysgraphia for every blog post i will put one post of my orignal version and then an edited vershion below it this is the unedited vershon.


This is the edited version:

Creating a blog with dysgraphia is a hard thing to do. I created this blog to tell about my experiences with dysgraphia. In my experience, unlike many people think, dysgraphia is not something that can be cured. It is something lots of people have to deal with on a daily basis, but most do not know they have it. I didn't know until last year and didn't really understand what it entailed until now. At first, I thought it was normal, but over time I realized I was wrong. I couldn't do things that the other kids could do, and it was very frustrating. Everyone else could spell, write, and use grammer with ease, but I couldn't. I started to think that I might have dyslexia, but it didn't add up. I could read faster than most kids in my class. I could also understand what I was reading more and faster than all of the other kids. When I was fourteen, I got my answer. My mom is a speech pathologist and had known since I was in fourth grade that I had dysgraphia, but didn't want to tell me, thinking I would give up trying. When little did she know, that I had stopped trying to learn how to spell a long time ago. With this blog, I am planing on showing my story of growing  up with dysgraphia. For every blog post, I will put one post of my orignal version and then an edited version below it.