The problem of handwriting

One of the most common reasons that parents report for their identified gifted (often highly gifted) child not being included in extension groups running at school is that their writing is not good enough / neat enough / fast enough………

While I may not advocate for including a child in a pull out writing group if they were not a ‘writer’ or didn’t at least like writing, excluding a child because their handwriting is considered poor (often meaning it is not at the level of their verbal interactions or their measured potential) may be keeping the child from an opportunity that they really would benefit from.

Of course, it may not be quite so convenient to have a student or students who don’t write with ease in this sort of group. But there are a number of ways to support them in their writing, perhaps by allowing them to type their work or to record their work for later transcription. This then allows them to work on refining their ideas, developing their writing skills without the constraint of slow or poor writing.

For young children who are just beginning to write, including them in a group where others are already writing and where they can see writing has a purpose (beyond completing pages of hand writing practice) can make all the difference.

If a child had physical disability that impacted on their writing, we would be quick to make sure they had the chance to access opportunities to develop their potential. If they are gifted but don’t write neatly, less often do parents report that supports are put in place…… No doubt that is frustrating for everyone.