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[quote=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.[/quote]

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