1st grader doesn't want to write

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I always had a harder time with printing because my hands would get sore from it. Cursive writing was easier because I didn't need to grip the pencil is hard or to move my hand is much.

But I'd still end up wth a dull ache if I wrote for long.

Try different sizes/weights of writing utensils. I was in college before I could write decently with the taditional bic pen because it was just too light for me to write with.

Talk to the school about the problems and suggest having learn to read handwritten letters instead of writing them himself. For example instead of a handwriting test he can be shown four cards with the letts p, d, b, and g on them and asked to point out which letter is the D. He can do his written work on a laptop. That way he still learns what written letters should look like and he doesn't get the pain associated with writing

my daughter has quite a difficult time even reading cursive, never mind writing it. she's in 4th grade, and because her writing is still so illegible, the teacher said that she can continue to print words instead of using cursive.
back to the 1st grader, though.....does he have an OT or PT that can work on hand exercises with him ?

evilteach ~ your program sounds great ! my aspie son dropped out of typing because he couldn't go at his own pace, and he ultimately went right back to the hunt and peck method of typing.

My daughter is the same way. She has a hard time with handwriting, and the school's original solution was to force her to write more than any of the other students. Through some kicking, screaming, and pushing, I was able to get them to work with the school's OT and the school system's Autism Resource Team to allow her to dictate some of her work as opposed to writing it all out. We are still working on allowing her to use the computer for her spelling and reading homework, since she is so open to that as opposed to writing anything. Seems to me that the more she is pushed and the more the school focuses on her handwriting, the less she wants to try.

Anyway, just wanted to say that I am experiencing the same thing, and that even though some may be resistant, try exploring other avenues and talk with the school. They may be willing to work with you so that handwriting becomes less of a focal point, and the content moves to the forefront, at least until fine motor skills become more defined.

I feel your pain! We are in the exact same boat! I just have to stay on top of it. If he does the writing work at school he only has to one line, if he refuses to do it at school I have the teacher send it home and we have him do two. Sometimes this works and sometimes it doesn't! Also, every week he has spelling words, one night he has to write each word three times and another night he has to write a sentence for each word. What we usually do then is have him write as many as he can and he is allowed to type the rest on the computer and print it out. I give out rewards frequently, for example for every sentence he writes he can have a M&M. We all let him write about dinosaurs for all his sentences too (he is totally and completely obssessed with dinosaurs). If he has other homework like math also, then we do one assignment and take a break and then do the next etc. It's tedious but most the time it works. In school however, it really just depends on his mood. I try to remind him every morning when I drop him off to try and do the work at school so we can have more playtime at home and sometimes that helps to reinforce it too.

Thanks for letting me know we're not alone! I don't want to be the bitchy mom at school but I need to make sure my son gets what he needs!

I had that fear of being "the bitchy mom" too. I generally don't like having to push and push and push somemore, but it's necessary in order to make sure our children are getting what they need. Over the past month my constant pushing has been the catlyst for some great results, including even more ideas for Kalli's issues with writing. Today her OT and teacher came up with the idea to write out answers to problems or sentences for her, in highliter and have her write over the highliter! This way she is focusing on the content, but still learning how to form the letters correctly and actually writing. I am very excited about this idea, and when they have used it in the classroom, Kalli has been able to show that she understands all of the concepts even without writing it herself from scratch, and has been more apt to write instead of trying to get out of it!

Just thought I would share this idea as well. I know that the same things don't work for everyone, but I thought it was too good to keep to myself.

oooh, excellent idea missa! I'll have to talk to his teacher and see if we can do that too! another thing we do, is sometimes he gives verbal answers instead of writing them, like for a spelling test etc.

We have been trying that out with Kalli as well, and it seems like the combination of the two works well! I definitely recommend the highlighter approach. We used it some yesterday and what a difference in my child! All of a sudden she didnt have to worry about trying to make her hands do something they really can't without a little help! She went over the highlighted words perectly, no fuss, no tears, no frustration, and she was able to retain the content of the lesson. If you do try it, please let me know how it works for you! I'm curious to see if it's something that works for more than just Kalli!

I just sent an email to my son's teacher telling her I'm going to try this with my son. I'll let you know how it works! Of course next week he only has school 2 days for the holiday coming up so I don't know how much work if any he will have.

Excellent! I hope that it helps out! Sometimes it's the little things like this that make all the difference for our kiddos!

My handwriting was also horrible throughout school...to the extent that more than 20 years ago my teachers would tell me to please type my papers so they could understand it...Until I began taking architecture and used a template for lettering in the drawings...after a few months, my handwriting improved dramatically, where I was later told that I had beautiful handwriting...I do always print and never use cursive, as that is still horrible...

Maybe he does feel a bit self conscious as well...maybe he could try a template and that might
make it more fun until he gets a better grip and possibly improve his writing.

My 8 year old son has this too.
Every one of the three years so far of correspondence-course homeschooling, which already we only do a minimum of for assessment purposes, I have asked the "teacher"/corrector/marker of his papers to let him write in unjoined up cos joining up was impossible. My son said it didn't look like real writing, cos all real writing is in books and on computer, and is unjoined. Luckily the teachers have so far always agreed so long as is neat and otherwise well presented.
In the first year, after horror of having tried to join up for almost 2 terms, during which I often did a lot of it, writing with my left hand to simulate a six year old!! , to "restart" him we also used coloured felt-tips. He enjoyed choosing a different col for each new sentence etc.
He still doesn't like it much; it's slow and laborious, tho' neat .
What's so weird is that he loves drawing, and draws incredibly intricate, meticulous, fine detailed complex eye-views and maps, and "tech" style designs. In other words it's not a pure motricity problem, if at all!! It's as he didn't "understand" the purpose/function/reasoning behind letters, definitely when joined up, and that blocked him. What are these shapes? sort of reaction.
Since March he can read, so presumably that will change now, as realises can communicate with these odd shapes, despite their complete illogicality.

Perhaps he would have been happier with chinese/japanese logographic system.
Seriously do wonder about that. The Western alphabetic writing system based on sounds represented by symbols/visual codes for objects the SPOKEN words for which begin with that sound, a total muddle of the visual and the auditory, and the concrete and the abstract, may not be the easiest concept for an AS mind?
Maybe I should show him some chinese writing ?!

wow, who knew writiting was such a complex thing! I can't wait to try the highlighter with him though.

Be the bitchy Mom, it is the oly way to get the results at school. Remember the old addage "The squeaky wheel gets the oil".