Causes of difficulties in written expression and how to overcome them

Writing is one of the most important skills that children must learn in their early school years, as it is one of the most prominent means that children use to communicate with others and express themselves. It is one of the four most important language skills, and here we mean the four language skills of writing, reading, listening and speaking. Through it, their thoughts and beliefs are transformed into understandable words and letters through which they form useful sentences that indicate meanings and ideas in their minds. Therefore, in this article, we will discuss the causes of difficulties in written expression and how to overcome them, in order to help parents and educators help their children get rid of difficulties in written expression .

The concept of written expression difficulties in children :

Writing difficulties in children are a clear indication of a health and psychological problem. Many parents may notice a problem in their children's writing, but they do not realize that this may indicate a problem, and they have never heard of the term writing difficulties. So, what is the concept of writing difficulties or what is called dysgraphia? Writing difficulties are defined as children's inability to master writing in a clear and understandable handwriting, in addition to poor spelling and slow writing, and their inability to organize and compose words to obtain useful sentences, despite the availability of the necessary factors such as good teaching, motivation, and the availability of good physical and mental health. Writing difficulties are classified as disabilities and learning difficulties.

In addition to the above, poor written expression in children may be related to a problem in the nervous system that has affected the fine motor skills necessary to master writing. Accordingly, the child may feel difficulty in writing, starting from writing simple letters and up to school assignments. Although cases of writing expression difficulties are very common among children, they are rarely talked about among parents. So if you have not heard of this term before, here is a comprehensive and clear guide that addresses writing expression difficulties and everything related to it.

Symptoms and signs of writing difficulties:

Signs of writing difficulties vary , and even differ from one child to another, as writing skills do not develop in all children at the same rate, but there are individual differences in this, and therefore some signs may be present in some children and not in others. The most prominent signs and symptoms of writing difficulties are the following:

• Irregular spacing between words, with some words spaced far apart and others overlapping in a chaotic manner.
• The child writes in the middle of the page instead of on the right or left.

• Writing irregularly above and below the line, instead of being careful to write regularly on the line designated for writing, and the inability to write in a straight line.

• As for foreign languages, such as English, for example, the child may be familiar with the rules of correct writing, such as using capital letters at the beginning of any sentence, but writes in a random way, such as the word quEEn.

• One of the most prominent symptoms of difficulties in written expression in children is that some of them complain of pain in their hands after writing, and this may result from their incorrect use of pens while writing.
• Symptoms of poor written expression in children also include frequent spelling errors.

• Obvious errors in writing words and letters, as the child suffers from problems in drawing the lines and curves that make up letters, and even difficulty in merging and assembling them to form words. It may also be difficult for him to draw small letters that require precise skills.
• Difficulty in putting appropriate distance between words and sentences, as some children tend to put words and sentences too close together, which leads to the formation of incomprehensible words.

• Incorrect spelling of words: When children spell words incorrectly and do not pronounce them correctly, they find it difficult to convert them into correct writing, and incorrect words are formed with missing letters due to incorrect pronunciation and incorrect pronunciation.

• One of the most important symptoms of difficulties in written expression is also avoiding children who suffer from weak written expression from participating in writing activities with their peers, because when children suffer from writing problems, you find them introverted, shy, and afraid to participate with their peers.

• Low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence. When a child suffers from writing problems, his self-esteem decreases and he feels that he is less than those around him. This is reflected negatively on his academic achievement, his relationship with his friends, and even his relationship with himself and his self-confidence.

Types of difficulties in written expression in children:

There are two main types of writing difficulties in children as follows:

• The first type is represented by problems related to the way of writing and handwriting. In this case, the child has good and wonderful ideas in his mind, but he does not have the ability to convey them properly through writing. His writing is random and unclear, as if he makes mistakes in forming letters, or finds it difficult to write in an organized manner or hold the pen while writing in a correct way, to the point that he cannot read what he has written himself.

• The second type of difficulties in written expression are problems related to children's ability to express their ideas. In this type, the child finds it difficult to collect his ideas or express them in writing. He does not know where to start writing or expressing his ideas. Other children may have the ability to start writing, but they cannot organize their ideas in a good way. This type of weak written expression is largely the result of children's lack of organizational and planning skills, and perhaps the inability to link ideas and transform them into clear and understandable sentences and words.

Causes of difficulties in written expression in children:

The reasons for poor written expression in children vary . Some are physical, others psychological, and some behavioral. The most important of these reasons are the following:

• There are some physical diseases that may affect children's writing skills, including birth defects that may cause a lack of coordination in the body's fine motor skills, and thus difficulties in written expression . Sometimes, difficulties in written expression are linked to other conditions such as hyperactivity and difficulty concentrating (ADHD), which is an abbreviation for (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).

• Reading difficulties: Many children who suffer from reading difficulties also have a degree of weakness in written expression .

• Poor quality education, as children who did not learn to write and handwriting well, and did not receive a good education, face great difficulties in written expression , and this problem may continue with the child to lead to difficulties in learning in general and not just in writing.

• Problems with spelling coding, as there is an area in the human brain called working memory, which in turn allows children to remember written words and letters and even remember the steps and method in which the child writes these words and letters, and remember the movement of the fingers to write those words, thus a problem in the work of working memory causes what is called the problem of spelling coding, which is one of the reasons for difficulties in written expression .

• Weakness in basic language and motor skills, as writing is a complex skill that requires a working memory, as we mentioned, in addition to the ability to collect ideas, understand the meanings of words, and the ability to organize sentences in a good way. Therefore, any problem or weakness in these skills will greatly lead to weak written expression.

Now, let's review the concept of writing difficulties , its common patterns, signs, and causes. Do you think that there is a cure for writing difficulties? Fortunately, there are some writing activities that can help children get rid of their weak writing skills. However, before reviewing these therapeutic activities, we must first make a good diagnosis of writing difficulties .

How can written expression difficulties be diagnosed in children?

As we mentioned earlier, cases of difficulties in written expression have a special nature, as they are rarely talked about among parents, so it is difficult to discover them from the beginning. However, with proper monitoring by parents and educators, they can be noticed early to diagnose them correctly and then reach appropriate treatments. The following are the steps for the correct diagnosis of cases of weak written expression:

• The first step is for the doctor to rule out any physical conditions causing writing difficulties.
• The second step is represented by the learning difficulties specialist, who in this case is considered the primary therapist for the child, as he gives the child some academic tests and writing activities that measure his abilities and writing skills, such as the ability to collect ideas and express them in the form of words, and other activities to measure his writing and fine motor skills. For example: The learning difficulties specialist may ask the child to move the fingers of the hand or wrist in a certain way, and the specialist may also ask the child to write letters, words and sentences to observe the following:

• Fine movements of the child's hand while writing.
• How a child holds a pen.
• The shape and position of the child's body when writing.
• Note the child's writing style completely.
• The final form of the writing activity required to be completed by the child.

Therapeutic activities and writing strategies needed to address children’s writing difficulties:

The method of treating difficulties in written expression differs from one child to another, as the treatment of weak written expression depends on whether the child suffers from other learning difficulties and problems or not, or has other medical conditions or not. Accordingly, he is given a set of therapeutic activities that are divided into a number of stages according to his presence, i.e. therapeutic activities inside the home and others at school, and some are with the learning difficulties specialist treating him. These activities include the following:

First: Therapeutic writing strategies to address the difficulties of written expression in children at school:

The best thing a school can do for a child with poor writing skills is to help them and relieve the pressure and stress of writing, allow them to use other methods to express their ideas, such as speaking and typing on the computer, and give them enough time during school tests, as these children take longer than their peers to form sentences and words, so the extra time will reduce their stress and boost their self-confidence and show their best.

Therapeutic activities to address children’s difficulties in written expression at school include the following:

• The child should use paper to write on instead of writing on the board, to reduce the child’s shyness in front of his classmates.
• Do not use the accuracy of writing and the shape of letters as a criterion for evaluating children who have weaknesses in written expression, because this will result in a decrease in their grades, and consequently this will reduce their self-esteem and make them feel that their efforts in writing are worthless.

• Do not force the child to do long writing tasks and activities.

• Teachers should skip simple spelling mistakes as much as possible so that the child does not feel neglected and things are complicated.

• Use paper with raised lines for children with writing difficulties, in addition to erasable pens to make writing easier for them.

• Allowing children with writing difficulties to use a computer that includes word processing software.

Second: Home writing strategies that can be used to treat children’s writing difficulties:

It is necessary for the child's family, in cooperation with teachers and educators within the school, to seek to help the child improve his handwriting and train him to write well. There are many activities that can be done at home to confront the difficulties of written expression, including:

• Teach children to write in simple ways and train them to do so, even for a few minutes a day, then reward them for their efforts and writing, even if it is simple, and reinforce any improvement or tangible writing skill, even if it is small, and avoid criticizing the child.

• Teach the child the correct way to hold the pen when writing, and pay attention to him when he holds the pen tightly, as holding the pen correctly while writing will reduce hand fatigue and thus writing will become easier and less effortful.

• You can help your child write, even if it is simple. Children who have difficulties in writing find it difficult to complete writing tasks, even if they are simple. Therefore, you can make these tasks easier for him and write the first sentence with him, then ask him to write the second. This will motivate him to write.

• Encourage him to pronounce the words out loud while writing. This will increase his ideas and vocabulary and will enhance his concentration and performance.

• You can ask your child to write fun, practice letters without expecting perfect words and letters. The most important thing is that the words are understandable, clear and readable.

• Involve your child in multi-sensory writing exercises and activities. You can ask your child to write in the garden where there is fresh air or on the beach where there is sand. This will enhance his sense of letters and words and give him a strong memory of the shapes of letters.

• You can relieve your child's stress while writing by using some writing strategies, such as rubbing his hands together quickly before starting to write, as a way for you to convince him that this will energize him to write well.

Third: Writing strategies and therapeutic activities carried out by the learning difficulties specialist:

You and your child may benefit from activities provided by a learning disabilities specialist. The specialized and professional treatment provided by a learning disabilities specialist often depends on the following:

- Use certain tools to strengthen the hand and wrist.

- Rely on exercises to improve the formation of letters and words.

- Strengthening the fingers through some simple and repeated movements that make writing easier and better later.

Other writing strategies that can be adopted to overcome children’s difficulties in written expression:

In 1997, Janet Lerner developed fifteen writing strategies that can be used to train children to write correctly. These steps are as follows:

• Training children to simulate models and drawings of different geometric shapes such as circles, triangles and lines, in addition to previewing letters and numbers, all before they start writing, using the fine muscles of the fingers and the large muscles of the hands and arms.

• Teach children to draw letters, numbers and shapes on wet sand or clay.
• Teach the child to sit correctly while writing.
• Place the writing paper on the table correctly so that the paper is straight when writing connected letters, and tilted to the left when writing separate letters. This is for a child who uses his right hand to write, and the opposite is true for a child who uses his left hand to write.

• Teach the child to hold the pen correctly when writing.

• Give the children a stencil sheet with letters, numbers, and geometric shapes written on it, and a white sheet of paper under the stencil sheet. Then ask the child to press on it with pens, then lift the stencil sheet to find that what he wrote has been printed on the white sheet.

• Training the child to imitate letters, numbers and geometric shapes by placing a transparent sheet and then asking the child to write like it.

• Teaching children to write double letters .
• Give the child models of letters, numbers and dotted shapes, then ask the child to complete them.

• Provide incomplete letter models and ask the child to complete them.
• Provide paper models with parallel colored lines printed on them, then train the child to write the letters of the alphabet between these lines.
• It is preferable to use educational tools and colored paper models to write the letters.

• When training a child, you must start with the easy letters first, such as (A - B), then train him on the more difficult letters, such as (La).
• Provide verbal instructions to the child when he holds the pen and starts writing, such as: under, above...etc.
• Accustoming and training the child to write connected letters, but he should not practice this until he has mastered writing separate letters first, as it is a skill in which the spaces between words, the size of letters and words, marginal notes and slant must be taken into account while writing paragraphs and sentences.

What is the role of the Madrasa.com platform in confronting the difficulties of written expression among children?

If you notice that your child is experiencing difficulties in written expression or in his academic achievement, there is no need to worry, as many children face problems and difficulties in learning and writing, and the Madrasa.com platform will be by your side anytime and anywhere, as the Madrasa.com platform offers a package and a group of specialized sessions to confront difficulties in written expression in particular and academic learning difficulties in general, and it also provides a group of educational resources and means necessary to improve their writing, academic and study skills with confidence and readiness.

In conclusion, parents, teachers and even the child himself must be aware that difficulties in written expression are a problem that is never a cause for shame, and that there are solutions if they are discovered early and diagnosed correctly.