<p>My 13-year-old S cannot write in script; instead he prints with tiny, illegible letters, in pencil. He types most of his assignments. I don't see any reason why he should write so badly. He has no problem with small-motor coordination. He used to be intensely interested in drawing, and quite good at it, and he still does a lot of things with his hands (scenery for model trains, etc.) He does not have any neurological problems, and he is very bright (straight 99th percentile, 9th stanine, on recent ISEE exam). </p>
<p>I wouldn't blame his teachers if they refused to accept the assignments that he has to do by hand. I can barely read them myself. And he is applying to very selective independent schools for HS. I cringed as I mailed in his essays this week, which had to be in his "handwriting."</p>
<p>Should I send him to some sort of physical therapist or writing instructor? My husband doesn't consider this a problem, because my S types well, but I do.</p>
<p>I think it might be because writing in cursive isn't required, kids never learn how to write well.(atleast in my school). In my public highschool most of the male students have horrible handwriting(from what I have seen, including mine). Tell him to slow down when he is writing and concentrate more on his handwriting, it might take longer but it will come out much better. Once he does that I am sure he can speed it up while continuing to have better handwriting(while not perfect).
I know with mine it is much better when I write slower.</p>
<p>I pleaded with him to let me fill out his college apps. or copy short answers for him. No go.
When he sent thank you notes the envelope looked like a little kids letter to santa</p>
<p>My handwriting is awful. Lots of teachers tried to get me to learn cursive script and I could just never do it properly. On the list of things people have tried to teach me, that had to be the most useless of them all. If anything it only made my writing worse.</p>
<p>So I scribble-print everything, which I think is fine, as long as other people can read it why should they care how I write it. Besides, in college everything is typed anyway, except for in-class stuff.</p>
<p>NYMomof2,
My oldest son's handwriting is dreadful. (I'll see your bad handwriting and raise you!) He had to handwrite a "confidentiality agreement" when he recently took the GRE's and had nightmares about it, worrying that he would hold everyone else up as he tried to make his script legible. He hasn't had to use script since 3rd grade. As your son gets into high school and beyond, he will (mostly) be able to "cure" his bad writing with typing. I am sure that all these places that require the actual handwritten essay will have seen worse. My son got into the habit of using an erasable pen when his handwriting was required.</p>
<p>Our older son had handwriting classes throughout elementary school with absolutely no improvement in his illegible writing. After years of being told he should learn how to write, we ultimately got a diagnosis that he was just not wired for it. Thank goodness we live in the computer age - since 9th grade, he has typed all assignments, used a laptop for taking notes in class, and takes his exams on a computer at school (so they know it doesn't have any files or internet access). But for this, he probably would have had no choice but to become a doctor. ;)</p>
<p>re architects: My S took drafting as an elective last year. They spent several days copiously printing the alphabet with the letters formed just so. DH (an engineer) says that is commonplace in drafting which is probably where the architects get it from.</p>
<p>That said..both of my S's print everything they write and it is horrible too. When S1's W2 form came from his parttime job, our address was spelled wrong due to his horrific penmanship.</p>
<p>When S2(h.s. jr.) was in 4th grade I questioned his teacher about the horrible handwriting and she said that at workshops they were told not to worry about it because by the time these kids get to the corporate world the only handwriting they'll really have to do is to sign their name because everything else will be computerized.</p>
<p>im a professional in a busy health care center- the other day a co-worker looks over my shoulder and says to me "oh wow! i didnt know you knew chinese!" i pause, and say "umm i dont, thats just my handwriting."</p>
<p>It is such a relief to read this thread. Both my son (out of school now) and my daughter have dreadfull handwriting and it only seems to bother me. I am amazed that teachers will even grade work that must be such a strain to read. And as for cursive - well they were taught it but never required to use it so cannot do it. Actually they find it hard to read other (old) peoples cursive because they are so unaccustomed to seeing it. I guess the days of getting whacked across the knuckles by a Nun for poor handwriting are ancient history now. :)</p>
<p>The only downside to not writing by hand is that keyboarding is a very different cognitive experience from the complex act of hand-writing and certain things , like brain pathways, might be by-passed by key boarding alone from an early age. It doesn't have to be pretty writing, but I think there should be some writing because there are neural pathways being laid down that may be helpful in the learning process.</p>
<p>That said, my son qualified for Essential Early Ed. services at the age of 3 because of motor deficits. I worked with him myself and he's fine now, though in early HS, his writing was like chicken-scratching. A well-loved teacher/coach in 9th grade said he wouldn't give full credit for illegibility and things improved form there. It's harder for guys though, in general.</p>
<p>Two of my boys have atrocious handwriting and the 3rd has ok handwriting, tho it did go through a TINY phase when he started high school. I think it reflected his insecurity over a new situation--it got larger as time went on. Man, was it tiny. Was he hoping teachers wouldn't bother reading it and give him a good grade anyway??</p>