ADHD and initiating writing

[Anonymous]

Though at or above grade-level in math and reading our 7 year old really struggles to begin and complete writing assignments in class (4-6 sentence expectation). Teacher has used visual prompts and sentence starters with little success. When I talk with them they say that they want to write and that they know the content they need in order to write. The problem is they have too many ideas in their head and they can’t get started because they are thinking about which to use. They have a hyperactive ADHD diagnosis but no meds or specific outside therapy yet. They are pretty sensitive to mistakes, exclusion and losing so maybe some anxiety around being wrong? Curious if you think this sounds consistent with ADHD and if anyone has dealt with a similar manifestation and has suggestions I can give the teacher (and use at home) that might help.

[Anonymous]

Trouble with task initiation is common with ADHD. Seems like the teacher gets it and is trying. It may take time.

[Anonymous]

Can they copy 4-6 sentences without any problems?

[Anonymous]

That was exactly what my son experienced. The very first day of meds he came home and was able to do his writing homework. Honestly he hadn’t realized how bright he was until that day.

Fast forward to college. Yesterday he was struggling with writing and I asked if he took his medication. He had not. Well about 30 minutes later he was able to sit down and focus and get it done. Nothing worked except medication for this and medication has been like a miracle intervention.

[Anonymous]

That was exactly my daughter with combined ADHD. Something that helped was using her talkativeness to her advantage.

With homework, started having her answer out loud with me writing down key words and phrases or recording her so she could listen back. Her sentences might go on forever, ramble, and go off track, but she could get it all out MUCH better than if she were trying to write as it poured out and spelling and punctuation didn't have to be considered. Then she'd say a sentence out loud and I'd repeat it while she wrote it down.

Then typing instead of writing was a huge help, both at home and at school when possible. Not because writing itself was a struggle, but because there's less pressure to be organized and polished when it's so easy to reorder sentences and fix grammar, punctuation, and spelling later when on the computer. I find this true as well. Started with voice-to-text or typing the key words and phrases herself. It was a struggle at first because her perfectionism made it hard for her to feel like it was acceptable to put down thoughts instead of sentences. But now she can type her long run on sentences and jumbled thoughts without hand-holding and then go back and turn it into sentences. Instructions to write 4-6 sentences seems intimidating but it's less so when you realize a run-on sentence with four contractions in it can easily be split up -- and should be to make the paragraph easier to read. We talk about "making it easier for your reader" a lot.

This process wasn't quick, and it was in combination with trying out different graphic organizers and lots of praise for effort, thoughtful analysis, and good word choice. But she has gone a long way from "I don't know" and one sentence fragment to being able to write several paragraphs, either answering questions or with creative writing. And she's progressed enough that she doesn't even ask to use the computer very often. Her writing still includes a fair amount of crossing out and carats to insert words or phrases, but with practice and maturity over a few years it's so much better.

[Anonymous]

I have worked with students like this. They can tell you all about what they want to write but can’t commit to the first sentence. It’s painful to watch them. Some get caught up in correct spelling, others seem to keep considering too many alternatives and can’t pick one. You can try having them dictate a graphic organizer to you. If he has to write about an animal, you write the name of an animal and then make bullet points as he tells you how it looks, where it lives, what it eats, etc. Then the ideas are organized and he can hopefully write a sentence for each bullet.

Meds really do help.

[Anonymous]

This sounds a lot like my son and his OT puts a timer on him. I sometimes worry that this is basically triggering anxiety and not a great long term strategy psychologically but it does seem to be effective.

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the suggestions. At home I definitely have them say out loud first what they want to write and then write which helps. Sometimes we do this over dinner so that they already have processed the writing prompt before they sit down with the paper.

I try not to dictate it back verbatim while they are writing because I worry about them being too dependent on me but I’m intrigued by the idea of having them type first then copy it back out themselves. . .

It’s so hard sometimes to figure out what support will help them build skill over time and get better at it and what support might stunt their growth. . .

[mouseJerry]

Anonymous wrote:That was exactly what my son experienced. The very first day of meds he came home and was able to do his writing homework. Honestly he hadn’t realized how bright he was until that day.

Fast forward to college. Yesterday he was struggling with writing and I asked if he took his medication. He had not. Well about 30 minutes later he was able to sit down and focus and get it done. Nothing worked except medication for this and medication has been like a miracle intervention.

What kind of meds? stimulant or non-stim?

[Anonymous]

mouseJerry wrote:

Anonymous wrote:That was exactly what my son experienced. The very first day of meds he came home and was able to do his writing homework. Honestly he hadn’t realized how bright he was until that day.

Fast forward to college. Yesterday he was struggling with writing and I asked if he took his medication. He had not. Well about 30 minutes later he was able to sit down and focus and get it done. Nothing worked except medication for this and medication has been like a miracle intervention.

What kind of meds? stimulant or non-stim?

Stimulant. Non stimulants had no positive effect.

[Anonymous]

Meds as first line treatment. Graphic organizers helped with writing.

[Anonymous]

My 5th grader has ADHD/is twice exceptional and has significant analysis paralysis re: writing.
Here are some of the things that my son's teacher does with him. His ELA teacher and special ed home school model teacher came up with these together. I had to request that the special ed teacher get involved in this, and it was really worth it when she did.

Instructional Support(s) Other: Check in/conferences during writing assignments NAME requires check-ins/conferences before any writing assignment in all classes to support him during writing tasks.

Frequent and/or immediate feedback NAME requires frequent/immediate feedback especially during writing to help support him during writing tasks

Instructional Support(s) - Allow use of organizational aids Anticipated Frequency NAME requires graphic organizers to help him organize his thoughts for writing.

Instructional Support(s) Other: Provide digital copy of assignments that NAME can access and type on
NAME requires access to digital assignments when possible to allow him to type rather than handwrite his answer

Instructional Support(s) Other: Allow NAME to type or use speech to text for writing
NAME requires access to a computer to type or use speech to text to help with written output.

Instructional Support(s) Other: Oral rehearsal prior to writing
NAME benefits from oral rehearsal prior to writing in all classrooms. He requires prompting in order to use oral rehearsal

Program Modification(s) - Break down assignments into smaller units
NAME benefits from broken down assignments especially in writing with clear deadlines

HEre were my son’s present levels before his IEP annual review in 5th grade:
In class, NAME’S tEAcher reports that his writing strengths are in the areas of word choice, conventions, and sentence fluency. NAME’S struggles are in ideas and development, organization, and voice. NAME has been struggling with generating ideas for his realistic fiction story. Working in a group for a pre-writing activity helped him, but he needed prompting and reminders to stay on task. getsNAME easily stuck on what to write and generating ideas which can easily cause him to get frustrated. NAME needs support in generating his ideas, organizing his ideas into a logical manner, and accepting feedback to revise his work. He benefits from quick check-ins with the teacher before writing. She has used story cubes to support decision making on what to write. NAME also benefits from graphic organizers to facilitate breaking down the parts of the assignment into smaller steps. She then uses with paper copies the use of a 3 sectioned folder to hide the parts he is not currently working on so he's not fixated on other sections. NAME also uses speech to text and benefit from a visual checklist to revise and edit his writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:That was exactly what my son experienced. The very first day of meds he came home and was able to do his writing homework. Honestly he hadn’t realized how bright he was until that day.

Fast forward to college. Yesterday he was struggling with writing and I asked if he took his medication. He had not. Well about 30 minutes later he was able to sit down and focus and get it done. Nothing worked except medication for this and medication has been like a miracle intervention.

Same. Not just writing, but conversation too. The first time I asked a question after the first time my kid took medication, I almost fell on the floor. He answered directly and succinctly, instead of his usual hemming, hawing, umming, thinking, searching for words talking in circles self.

[Anonymous]

When my kid has an in class essay where the topic of the test question is known or pretty close to known, he will memorize the first sentence he will write, word for word. Just getting the first sentence down on paper gets him over the ADHD 'starting' hump. Sometimes he has to go back and change the first sentence to fit the topic better, but having it helps him get writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thank you for the suggestions. At home I definitely have them say out loud first what they want to write and then write which helps. Sometimes we do this over dinner so that they already have processed the writing prompt before they sit down with the paper.

I try not to dictate it back verbatim while they are writing because I worry about them being too dependent on me but I’m intrigued by the idea of having them type first then copy it back out themselves. . .

It’s so hard sometimes to figure out what support will help them build skill over time and get better at it and what support might stunt their growth. . .

He is too young for you to worry about him getting dependent on you. Trust me, it'a a along haul, and he will grown and change and take over more as his brain develops. Remember the ADHD brains is about 2 years behind in attention related skills (not intelligence) until age 25. Give the help needed when it's needed.