Early School Years Fact Pack - Cerebral Palsy Alliance

early school years fact pack
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Learning to Write
Learning to write is one of the most complex skills to learn, especially for students with a physical
disability. Writing involves the ability to co-ordinate several skills at once including physical (e.g.
posture, hand strength), sensory (e.g. vision, touch), perception (e.g. visual and body perception)
and cognitive (e.g. memory and attention). If only one of these skills is affected, the ability to write
may be compromised.
Should a student have difficulties with learning to write, all of these underlying skills necessary for
writing need to be assessed to find out if and/or where the problem areas are.
Some students may be able to write a little, but need other ways to record their work and express
their thoughts and ideas. Providing prepared notes or handouts for the student, use of a computer
or a scribe are just some of the many strategies available.
Students may also need extra time to complete their written work and emphasis on quality rather
than quantity is important.
Some written work activities may also need to be simplified or modified to the student’s level of ability.
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