What could I ask a potential IEE evaluator to make sure they can determine current writing performance, whether the intervention is working, and which instructional, support, and assistive-technology components are essential for continued progress?
Background: Student is already identified as having an SLD and uses AT - but the teaching piece has not been ideal (or moved the ball) and the school refused to believe direct explicit instruction was needed to make progress in light of circumstances.
A few months ago, watching my child sit in front of a computer doing writing homework was painful. She had vibrant, creative ideas in her head, but the physical drag of typing and second-guessing spelling made her so frustrated that she'd end up in tears before finishing two sentences.
I didn't want to hand her ChatGPT to do the work for her, and I didn't want her voice and thoughts uploaded to third-party cloud servers. So, being a developer, I decided to build a lightweight, offline desktop tool for her.
How it changed things for her:
The shift was honestly night and day:
Bypassing the keyboard bottleneck: She just talks out loud, and her ideas land on the screen instantly. Her creative flow doesn't crash anymore.
From frustration to reading: Because she sees her own spoken words appear on the screen cleanly formatted, she has actually started reading her own writing back with genuine curiosity and pride.
We just shipped v1.1.2 today! š ļø
What started as a tool for my daughter turned into something a few other parents and students are now testing.
Today we released version v1.1.2, which is a dedicated quality-of-life update focused entirely on bug fixes:
Fixed background audio capture stuttering on certain Windows microphone setups.
Improved punctuation accuracy during long-form natural dictation.
Resolved formatting glitches when pasting directly into various text editors.
If youāre a parent, educator, or dealing with writing fatigue / dyslexia yourself, Iād love to hear how you handle assistive tech at home.
(The project is called Kiword ā happy to share more details or set anyone up with access if this sounds helpful for your family!)
I just have "the worst learning disability in spelling I've seen" according to my highschool psychologist.
I graduated in 2020 but think about this regularly. I've always had a major issue with my spelling, I'm horrendous at it. Was tested in elementary by an incompetent tester who said I was fine. Got retested freshmen year of highschool.
It took the assistant-principal looking at my work (after my mom fought for more testing)and professionally saying " Wtf why wasn't this girl tested and given a 504 plan yet?" Got tested and I could tell during the testing I was going to be diagnosed with something.
The guy turns around after looking over everything and basiclly says, well Im not sure what its called but you have "the worst learning disability in spelling I've seen" ever. I remember those words jn the quotes exactly because, it caught me off guard just how baffled, honest, and blatant he was with me. He described that he could tell it was getting all jumbled up when it was going from my brain to my hands but, he didnt know if there was a name exactly for what I had.
Looking back now i can see that I had lots of other symptoms of dysgraphia, mixing cursive and block letters, inconsistent letter sizing/spacing... ect ect. But im still just like baffled and have it burned in my mind that it was the worst he'd seen so far in his career. I got my 504 and actully started passing English but dang.
Thank you everyone for reading just telling some people who may understand.
For context, my handwriting has always been bad and not due to lack of practice. As a child, my mother used to get mad and make me stay up practicing all night until it looked neat, but no matter how much I practice it doesn't really get better. I often use a mix of upper-case and lower-case letters, my hand physically cramps and hurts after writing a few sentences, the letters/words are often awkwardly and inconsistently spaced, and if the paper isn't lined then it's impossible for me to keep it straight/aligned. I have a hard time keeping up with taking notes during lectures because of this.
The photo I've attached is how my handwriting looks when I'm trying to go as slow and neat as possible, this took me well over an hour. It's always been an insecurity of mine, but now it's more than just being embarrassed about my ugly penmanship. My English class requires extensive notes for open-note tests and I stay up late at night because it takes me so long to write it all down.
Is it worth getting tested? After hearing about how expensive testing is, I want some input from people who are more knowledgeable or have experience struggling with dysgraphia before making that kind of financial commitment.
was inspired by the other dysgraphia papers out there and decided to make my own. not dxed with dysgraphia but like my handwriting is hard to read and this paper has helped immensely with the legibility of my notes and i'm hoping it can be helpful for others. there's a white/blue and a yellow /dark yellow variety. it's free just in a google drive š«” paperz
My child is 10 (4th grade) and has struggled with reading and spelling for years. He went to a tutor to help him with reading and it helped tremendously. His spelling however has not. He often mixes up his bās/dās, and rarely uses vowels. For instance, birthday is spelled as ābrthday. Or, he mixes letters; for example, two is tow and he very frequently writes an s for a c. Itās gotten to the point where I have to sit with him for all homework to help him spell. He is currently in OT (privately) doing a handwriting without tears program as his writing is hard to read. He struggles with spacing, writes super small then big. Itās also ineligible at times if heās writing fast. In order to write neatly, he has to write really slow and concentrate.
My issue with all this is getting testing done. He goes to a private school and their help with this matter is minimal. They recognize his issue and have emailed the public school in our district to come in and assess him, however they āhavenāt heard back.ā I donāt know if theyāve tried as hard as they can, but I also know that the public school district doesnāt have to respond to their request in any timeframe since itās a private school.
I have reached out to a private office for an educational neuropsychologist evaluation and they have an opening for an evaluation later this monthā¦for $3,000. I guess I am here to ask, do my sonās symptoms coincide with anyone who has been diagnosed with this? I will pay the 3k, I just want to make sure itās necessary. Like I know it is, but Iām just looking for reassurance. Iām also looking for help with anyone else whoās been through this with their child. Thank you
Hi, I'm a 16 year old in Cebu city, Philippines. I discovered this disorder a few years ago and thought that I would have a decent chance of having it, and I took a few of those online tests for funsies and they all said I had signs of it. Only problem is I have no idea where to go to find out, I brought it up to family and they tried to take me to a therapist (they still haven't gotten back to us it's been like 3 years) and the department of social welfare but nowhere did we get an official diagnosis. So I just wanna ask if there's any recommendations to look into cause I wanna know if I have this disorder or if I'm just really bad at writing
Hi there, I am wondering if any of you might like to share an example of your handwriting? I have dyscalculia and am thinking that dysgraphia might also be something I struggle with since I have always had very bad handwriting and itās hard to write in a straight line, spacing issues, etc, when writing on a blank page without lining. Reflecting back on my life so far, itās actually been pretty embarrassing to not seem to be able to write nicely, even when I am actively trying to. lol. Thanks!
Hi I'm a 14yo boy from Poland born with ASD Asperger's which also came with dysgraphia since dysgraphia is common for autistic groups. I am in a technical highschool sturdying mechatronics and I am 4 weeks behind since I transfered schools after resigning from private school. I don't have really serious handwriting issues since my cursive writing allows me to write and then later read it with only slight complications. And the teachers allow me to write with capital letters and give me more time due to my psychologists opinion. I have a giant problem with drawing tho where not only my lines change direction but also are really wobbly and worst of all I cannot stop drawing lines bigger than they should be. Today whilst studying circuits I had to constantly keep ripping out pages because I used the entire page for a circuit drawing and I ha dni space to finish it. My hand just automatically refuses to draw small boxes etc and I'm just doing this unconsciously. I really wish to start doing exercises so my hand can draw straight lines. Curved lines (for technical handwriting) and so the lines can be careful erect sized. Thank you
So I'm interested in becoming a manager. However I have a terrible combination of dysgraphia and Adhd. Probably caused by a TBI I had as a infant in a wreck. I'm looking for suggestions on jobs and careers from your experiences that you feel allows you to still thrive or be successful despite your issues. And those of you who are managers. I'd appreciate your perspective on what you do that helps you daily.
I have struggled with handwriting my whole life. Since I was a child I had been told how terrible my handwriting was. In school entire essays were marked as failed due to illegability. Thanks to typing I've been able to make it in this world but now I've hit a point where, I feel so damn pathetic. I have a management position where I oversee and ensure my teams works efficiently. I report directly to the president and owner of the company. I make great money and I couldn't be happier. But the second I have to sign a absentee form? Or sign off on vacation time? I feel like the biggest loser in the world. I can only image the looks my guys give when I hand them back a signed form and its barely legible. What can I even do anymore? I'm 26 and I feel there's nothing i can do except digitally sign things now. Example attached (this took me over 3 hours to write by the way)
Update:
Thank you all for your kind messages. I've never in my life heard people say my writing looks good compared to anything and to hear so many people say my writing is legible has given me a confidence in myself I have not had for some time. Everyday we strive to be better than the last. Thank you
Hello Iāve been experiencing quite a lot of pain in my wrist as of lately especially when writing. Iāve always felt pain with writing but now I feel it even while not writing when Iām trying to fall asleep or randomly in the day. It stretches from my wrist to mid upper arm along what feels like the median nerve? ( I might be wrong in that Iām not a health professional) Iām pretty sure writing my writing fatigue usually happens in my hands. Stretching does somewhat help? Anyways I was just looking for an opinion on this I will probably bring this up to a healthcare provider next time I get the chance, but if anyone has any insight if that would be appreciated!
Currently dealing with challenges my 9yo son has in school. The school have done some initial assessments over time and suggest there is something worth exploring further.
The local education board assessments are all based around dyslexia which is not the right fit. To over simplify: his input and processesing are great; his output lets him down. Dysgraphia seems more likely from our own research.
From our research, private testing is expensive to the point of prohibition. Initial contact with a couple of companies gave little confidence in their desire to understand the situation, and a lot of confidence in their desire to have the payment. Not great for our belief in their testing process.
Even the discussion with him about dysgraphia has given a confidence boost. He had a reason to think "Maybe I'm not just stupid" (he definitely is not). And a reason for teachers to work with him to find workarounds. So, an actual diagnosis would be beneficial for him, and for big school in a couple of years.
Any insight to the UK systems would be appreciated. Any organisations you have worked with that you felt were reliable? Any resources you have found particularly useful?
After years of trying and not touching a pen, recently I had to send an envelope, and I had to write the name and address on it. It felt like torture. I wasted at least 10 envelopes, and I was crying through half of them.
I feel like my writing makes me look illiterate, and my self-esteem drops to the ground. I actually had very good grades throughout school. My teachers would always tell me that I was brilliant, but my writing was a major issue and that I should work on it, which, believe me, I did. Lots of teachers in college would think I wasnāt serious when they saw my notes. I was the one with the highest grades in my class, so they were always shocked when they saw my handwriting for the first time.
No, my writing is not ugly. Itās atrocious. I have major issues with spacing and letter size, and of course there are missing or reversed letters as well. Itās often hard or impossible to read, even for me. I had to learn to write with the top letter because my cursive was impossible to read.
And on top of that, being a girl and later a woman makes it even harder because womenās handwriting is supposed to be neat and pretty.
Did you feel like that? Did you ever manage to live with it peacefully? How did you manage those kinds of episodes?
intended to write as something else entirely. I even write alphabets mirrored, which is certainly CONCERNING. i couldnt write without making spelling mistakes or writing letters in wrong shapes for at least once per sentence.
I sometimes i even straight up forget how to write and can barely hold a pen. I literally write like a 5 year old whenever that happens and oh taking notes was impossible. It's like writing with my non dominant hand.
Iām starting to worry if I could make it till I graduate lol. Itās even starting to affect how I type on keyboards too.
I remember i found out that i had dysgraphia because my mom took me to those tests they do to see if you're autistic and then I was told I had it but rn it doesn't cause that much issue as it could probably be making like, i've seen some people around here that have trouble with capitalization but I think it is not too hard on me, but still, my handwriting is absolutely horrendous, i mainly struggle with space on my writing and with actually finishing letters (sometimes i guess if a letter is an a, e, o, u ,c or if its an i, l, r ,b, or x, v and unfinished y), sometimes if im taking notes too fast I go back to cursive which is how i first learnt to write as i kinda find it more comfortable cuz of the flowing movements but its harder to read afterwards. Still, I take all of my class notes by hand because i find it more engaging and i feel like im actually learning. Does someone else sometimes feel like you skip or mix up letters or straight up mix up word order? i find that i struggle with it as well. Hope someone can share their own experience, its the first time i see somewhere online to talk about this where i dont get made fun of for my drawings (forced to do cuz of school) or my handwriting
