Dysgraphia In Autism And ADHD
Why you or your child might hate handwriting and printing
I’d like to tell you a story
I remember one day when my son was in grade one (6 years old). I was informed he had hidden under his desk, refused to do his schoolwork, and then ripped up the worksheet he had been given.
His teacher was apparently taken aback, and couldn’t quite understand why this had happened.
Huh.
Well, hindsight is 20/20, but it seemed pretty obvious to me. At the time, my son was being assessed for ADHD by the school psychologist, as well as being assessed by the division’s occupational therapist.
We had expressed to the school that he was reluctant to write, despite having exceptional reading and comprehension skills. We figured it was a combination of fine motor and executive functioning challenges, but were waiting for the formal reports.
On the day in question, the class had been asked to do a fairly long (for 6-year-olds) writing assignment. When my son resisted, the teacher insisted. Backed into a figurative corner, my son took shelter, trying to hide under his desk.
Of course, when children don’t comply, we tend to label them “defiant”, or say they’re refusing to cooperate…
