Overcoming Dysgraphia Together as a Family: My Journey to Mastering Keyboarding

Dysgraphia is a learning difficulty that affects writing abilities. It can make handwriting, spelling, and organizing ideas on paper a real challenge. For me, my brother, and my son, dysgraphia has been a shared experience that shaped how we communicate and learn. This post explores what dysgraphia looks like, how it affected our lives, and how learning to type on a keyboard helped us overcome many of its challenges.

What Dysgraphia Looks Like

Dysgraphia is not just messy handwriting. It involves difficulties with the physical act of writing and the mental process of organizing thoughts on paper. Here are some common signs:

• Illegible handwriting that varies in size and spacing

• Slow writing speed that makes note-taking difficult

• Inconsistent letter formation and spelling errors

• Trouble organizing sentences and paragraphs

  

For example, when I was in school, my handwriting looked like this:

```

Ths is an exmple of hw my wrting lks.

It is hrd to rd and takes me a lot of tm.

```

My brother’s writing was similar, with letters that sometimes floated above or below the lines and words that ran together. My son, now in elementary school, struggles with spacing and often reverses letters.

These examples show how dysgraphia affects not only the appearance of writing but also the ease of expressing ideas clearly.

How Dysgraphia Affected Our Daily Lives

Writing is a basic skill used in school, work, and everyday communication. Dysgraphia made these tasks frustrating for all of us:

• Schoolwork took longer because writing notes and essays was slow and tiring.

• Spelling mistakes led to lower grades and misunderstandings.

• Avoidance of writing tasks caused stress and lowered confidence.

• Difficulty with written communication made it hard to share ideas clear

• 
  

  I found myself avoiding writing whenever possible.

Discovering Keyboarding as a Solution

The turning point came when I started learning to type on a keyboard. Keyboarding allowed me to bypass many of the physical challenges of handwriting. Typing helped me:

• Write faster and more legibly without worrying about letter formation.

• Focus on ideas and organization instead of struggling with pen and paper.

• Use spell check and editing tools to improve spelling and grammar.

• Build confidence in my ability to communicate in writing.

  
  

I began practicing typing regularly, starting with simple lessons and games designed to teach finger placement and speed. Over time, my typing speed increased, and I felt more comfortable expressing myself in writing.

How Keyboarding Helped My Brother and Son

Seeing my progress, my brother and son also started learning keyboarding. For my brother, it made a big difference in college assignments and professional communication. He could type essays and reports much faster than writing by hand.

My son’s teachers supported keyboarding as part of his learning plan. He now uses a tablet or computer for many assignments, which reduces his frustration and helps him keep up with his peers.

Practical Tips for Learning Keyboarding with Dysgraphia

If you or someone you know has dysgraphia, keyboarding can be a valuable skill to develop. Here are some tips to get started:

• Start with beginner typing programs that teach finger placement and basic keys.

• Practice regularly in short sessions to build muscle memory without fatigue.

• Use typing games to make learning fun and engaging.

• Incorporate assistive technology like spell checkers and speech-to-text tools.

• Set realistic goals and celebrate progress to stay motivated.

  
  

Visual Examples of Dysgraphia and Keyboarding Progress

Here is a comparison of handwriting and typed text from my son’s schoolwork:

Handwriting sample:

```

My favrit animel is a dog.

I like to play with it evry day.

```

Typed sample:

```

My favorite animal is a dog.

I like to play with it every day.

```

The typed version is clearer and easier to read, which helps teachers understand his ideas better and gives him confidence.

The Emotional Impact of Overcoming Dysgraphia

Learning keyboarding did more than improve our writing. It changed how we felt about ourselves and our abilities. We went from feeling frustrated and embarrassed to proud and capable.

• The men in my family learned to power through their dysgraphia by writing and typing.

• I write blogs and emails without hesitation.

  
  

This shared journey brought us closer as a family and showed us that challenges can be overcome with the right tools and support.

Writing with dysgraphia can feel like climbing a steep hill, but keyboarding offers a smoother path. If you or someone you love struggles with writing, consider giving typing a chance. It might open doors to more transparent communication and greater confidence.

My Original Poem!

The Click-Clack Liberation of '86

(Overcoming Dysgraphia)

The year was Nineteen Eighty-Six, the air

Was thick with fear and teenage deep despair.

The composition notebooks mocked my plight,

Where every word dissolved into the night.

My hand a traitor, clumsy, slow, and tense,

Dysgraphia built a towering, painful fence.

The teacher’s red ink cut into the page,

A prison where my intellect found a cage.

Then came the miracle, a beige machine,

With amber letters glowing, sharp and clean.

A bulky friend, the IBM typewriter waiting there,

Its steady presence banished every care.

No graphite smudges, no erratic slope,

Just keys that offered dignity and hope.

I sat before the screen, my fingers small,

And let the rhythm answer every call.

Click-clack, click-clack, the sound was pure and true,

The words appeared exactly as I knew

They should be formed, aligned, and justified,

The inner poet could no longer hide.

The awkward child who couldn't form the ways,

Now, I watched the sentence build without delay.

The thoughts that were scattered on the messy sheet,

They were gathered now, complete and strong and sweet.

I bypassed muscle, overcame the flaw,

And found my voice in that new machine law.

From stumbling script to typed grace,

The typewriter gave my weary soul a space.

The old handwriting shame began to cease,

In Nineteen Eighty-Six, I found my peace.

#Dysgraphia #Learningdisabilities #Obsticles