Winnie the Pooh suffered from Dysgraphia?

“Because my spelling is Wobbly. It’s good spelling but it Wobbles, and the letters get in the wrong places.” – Winnie the Pooh.

Wobbly writing and dysgraphia are terms often used interchangeably to refer to a writing disorder affecting a person’s ability to produce legible and coherent written text. People with dysgraphia may have difficulty with a range of writing skills, including handwriting, spelling, and punctuation. They may also struggle with organizing their thoughts on paper and expressing themselves in writing.

Symptoms of dysgraphia can vary widely, and may include:

  • Poor handwriting, with letters that are difficult to read or are misshapen
  • Difficulty forming letters and writing within the lines on the page
  • Inability to write quickly, with writing that is slow or labored
  • Difficulty with spelling, even when the person has a good understanding of the words they are attempting to spell
  • Inability to produce coherent and well-organized written text
  • Struggles with punctuation and capitalization

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties with writing, it is important to seek evaluation and support from a qualified professional, such as a teacher, learning specialist, or psychologist. With appropriate support and accommodations, people with dysgraphia can often improve their writing skills and succeed in their academic and professional endeavors.

Dyslexia and dysgraphia

Dyslexia and dysgraphia are two different learning disorders, but they can sometimes occur together. Dyslexia is a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to read, write, and spell. Dysgraphia is a learning disorder that affects a person’s ability to write, including their handwriting and composition skills. While dyslexia and dysgraphia are separate disorders, they both affect language processing and can cause similar symptoms, such as difficulty with reading, writing, and spelling. Additionally, people with dyslexia are at an increased risk of developing dysgraphia, and vice versa. Therefore, it is not uncommon for someone to have both dyslexia and dysgraphia.

Ghotit Approved for Windows 11 SE, School Edition

Windows 11 SE is an edition of Windows designed for education as a competitor to Chromebooks.

Windows SE runs on devices that use essential educational apps.

Ghotit Real Writer & Reader is one of a handful of approved applications for this unique version.

About Windows 11 SE – https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/education/windows/windows-11-se-overview

FAQs about Windows 11 SE educational program – https://edudownloads.azureedge.net/msdownloads/FAQ_Windows_11_SE_EDU_V04.pdf

Polysyndeton Writing

Polysyndeton is a literary device that uses multiple repetitions of the same conjunction (and, but, if, etc), most commonly the word “and.”

Polysyndeton is usually grammatically correct.
Reading Polysyndeton sentences slows the reading pace and is not recommended.

Example of a Polysyndeton sentence and Ghotit corrections:

Original sentence:

Dana invited her new boyfriend to her party with all her friends and they all brought gifts and they played computer games and it was a nice party.
Ghotit Corrected sentence:

Dana invited her new boyfriend to her party with all her friends. They all brought gifts. They played computer games. It was a nice party.

Original sentence:

Erica threw her boyfriend a party and all his friends came, and they all brought presents and they ate a cake and they played video games and they made a mess and no one helped her clean it up and it was a really long day.

Ghotit Corrected sentence:

Erica threw her boyfriend a party. All his friends came. They all brought presents and ate a cake and played video games. They made a mess. No one helped her clean it up. It was a long day.

Additional information regarding Ghotit writing assistance can be found at:

Ghotit spelling corrections
Ghotit grammar corrections
Ghotit punctuation corrections
Ghotit style & clarity

Dyslexia Keyboard App – Added Dictation and Correction by Paragraphs.

Dyslexia Keyboard App is an iOS/iPadOS custom software keyboard helping users with dyslexia and dysgraphia to write, proofread and correct texts.

An important feature of the Dyslexia Keyboard App is its unique Quick-Spell Word-Prediction that increases writing speed by successfully predicting intended words and providing instant correction upon the first typed misspelled letters.

After writing an essay or an email using Word-Prediction or Dictation, text correction is still required mainly to fix possible confused words and to add punctuation. The keyboard corrects texts by using the patented Ghotit Text Correction Engine. It fixes misspelled and confused words, homophones, grammar and punctuation errors.

The new feature added to the Dyslexia Keyboard App is Text Correction by Paragraphs. It corrects several sentences by a single run and increases productivity of fixing issues.

Text Correction

Another newly added feature is Dictation you can now activate directly from the Dyslexia Keyboard. Long tap the microphone image at the space-bar, and the dictation page appears. Dictate there and insert the dictated text to your original app by tapping on the “Apply the Dictated Text” button.

Dyslexia Keyboard

Floating Keyboard is a great feature added by Apple to iPadOS-13 (iOS-13) for the iPad-Pro and new iPad devices, and it’s now supported by Dyslexia Keyboard app. Positioning keyboard with predicted words close to the point of writing has advantages for many writers since it helps them to focus their attention on a writing area on screen and not to cope with breaking line of sight by looking at predictions located far below.

Floating Keyboard
Order Dyslexia Keyboard at iTunes:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/dyslexia-keyboard/id1160080528

Another option is to order “Dyslexia and Dysgraphia App Kit for iPad” bundle that includes two apps: Dyslexia Keyboard App and Ghotit Real Writer App, our Dyslexia-friendly editor:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app-bundle/dyslexia-and-dysgraphia-app-kit/id1342134715

Both Ghotit apps are Educational Apps with bulk educational pricing available for schools, districts and colleges.

Ghotit iPad Apps Bundle – Dyslexia and Dysgraphia App Kit

Ghotit offers two iPad dedicated apps for dyslexia and dysgraphia:

We keep receiving many questions on the difference between these two applications. Most inquiries are as follows, “My son/daughter/etc. is a dyslexic. Which tool fits him/her best, Ghotit Real Writer or Dyslexia Keyboard?”

Both apps use Ghotit’s core high-tech assistive technology features such as Ghotit Text Correction, Ghotit Quick Spell Word-Prediction, Ghotit Talking Dictionary etc., and both are recommended by Michigan University / Understood.

Ghotit Real Writer App (“Dyslexia Editor”) is a text editor. It provides simple word-processing functions applying the same set of assistive features as Dyslexia Keyboard. Ghotit Real Writer has the benefits of an attention concentrating environment. It is particularly helpful and recommended for children and adults with severe dyslexia/dysgraphia. The app works with Apple’s default software keyboard as well as with external (Bluetooth or wireless) hardware keyboards.

Dyslexia Keyboard is a custom software keyboard that was created for the more advanced users, for those who mastered the basic skills needed for routine use of Ghotit Real Writer. When the initial barrier of using an editor is acquired and those experiencing a dyslexia/dysgraphia disability have gained enough confidence, they may start writing directly to Google Docs, Pages, Word, Outlook, Mail, social networks, browsers etc. This is the context where Dyslexia Keyboard comes to help. On iPad Pro and iPad 2019 devices, Dyslexia keyboard app supports newest iPadOS Floating Keyboard Mode where keyboard could be moved near to cursor and help to write smoothly without breaking the line of sight. Note, that software keyboards, including Dyslexia Keyboard, cannot work with external (Bluetooth or wireless) hardware keyboards – this is the area where Ghotit Real Writer App could be used instead.

Thus, the correct answer to the question about the most appropriate Ghotit app is, “You need both: one app for the start and the other for the days to come.”

That’s why Ghotit recommends a bundle of Ghotit Apps for iPad containing both apps for a reduced price.

The bundle is available from Apple’s iTunes Store

 

Dyslexia and Google Docs

With the increase in the number of schools and colleges using Google Docs web-based application, it becomes critical to ask the following question, “What is the impact of this shift on pupils and students with dyslexia and/or dysgraphia?”

The question could be further narrowed, “What impact does this move from the use of MS-Word have on the ability of a dyslexic student to read/write/edit/dictate text documents?”
 
For making basic editing tasks and creating good looking rich-text documents, Google Docs has a very simple and clear interface. There are many good fonts, including Serif family fonts, and font color as well as background color could be easily adapted. When a user enables Screen Reader in Accessibility Preferences of the user’s Google Account Preferences, several screenshot readers (e.g. ChromeVox) are available. Screenshot Readers are available for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, etc., but these browser-dependent addins provide different sets of features and qualities. Another accessibility related option is, however available, the use of a generic Screenshot Reader working with any application on screen.
 
Texts should preferably be formatted and adapted to each student’s individual needs. Documents should take a visually comfortable size, fonts and colors. It could be much easier to comprehend a text if a Read Aloud option is also available. All these reading facilitators are absent when the document is provided in a read-only format, without editing privileges, or when a student is hesitant about making changes to an original document.

For students without learning disabilities, writing in Google Docs is a smooth experience. However, since many students with dyslexia and dysgraphia are slow typists and need Word-Prediction, using Google Docs AS IS could be a frustrating experience. Google Docs does not offer a Word-Prediction option (while an Autocomplete option is available in MS-Word). Ghotit’s Quick-Spell Word Prediction is specifically designed for those with dyslexia and dysgraphia and predicts text with instant correction of misspellings.
 

A great feature of Google Docs is Voice Typing. Student can dictate a text of a reasonable quality and format it by Voice Typing Commands. (This feature is only available in Chrome browser). Normally, microphones of smartphones and tablets are appropriate for dictation, whereas laptops and desktops require a purchase of an external high-quality dictation microphone. Dictation comes nowadays also as a platform feature of Mac (Siri), iOS, Windows and Android. Thus, there is a choice between these two good dictation options, Google Docs Voice Typing or platform-specific dictation, and there is no need to spend money on extra dictation software packages.

Text created by Word-Prediction or Dictation is supposed to be free of misspelled words, but it still comes with confused words, homophones, grammar and punctuation errors. When students write directly to a Google Docs document, misspellings are inevitable. Google Docs is doing a great job of flagging misspelled words as well as some confused words and grammar errors with a level of text correction being good enough for a non-dyslexic user. This service is far from sufficiency, though, for students with dyslexia and dysgraphia, and this is where Ghotit complements Google Docs by solving most complex cases.

In conclusion: Overall, Google Docs is a welcomed step forward towards simplicity in creating text documents and through its embedded assistive technology. When equipped with an appropriate and individually tailor-made additional assistive technology, Google Docs could make a positive impact on success of pupils and students with dyslexia and dysgraphia in educational systems.
 

Dyslexic Summer Break

Finally, the summer vacation is here and if you are a parent to a child who suffers from dyslexia, you might have a break from your routine, day-to-day helping chores .
Can you expect to accomplish Paul McCartney’s Summer’s Day Song?

Someone’s sleeping
Through a bad dream
Tomorrow it will be over
For the world will soon be waking
To the summer’s day

I doubt it.

I really don’t know what’s the best way you, a parent to a dyslexic child, should choose for the Summer vacation. If you do know the answer, please share it with us. The only thing I do know is that you should opt for a balance, on the one hand, not to let hard work altogether, but, on the other hand, letting your child enjoy vacation. We all need some rest, but as is the case with dyslexic children, we can’t allow ourselves the leisure of a total vacation.

We all know that dyslexia is not like pimples where there is a chance that your child will start next year without them. Your child will suffer from dyslexia next year and helping him or her is, unfortunately, a multi-year cruise.

10 Million Children have Difficulties Learning to Read.

Good readers are phonemically aware, understand the alphabetic principle, apply these skills in a rapid and fluent manner, possess strong vocabularies and syntactical and grammatical skills, and relate reading to their own experiences.

Difficulties in any of these areas can impede reading development. Further, learning to read begins far before children enter formal schooling. Children who have stimulating literacy experiences from birth onward have an edge in vocabulary development, understanding the goals of reading, and developing an awareness of print and literacy concepts.

 

Signs of reading and writing disabilities

  • Making frequent mistakes when reading
  • Guessing
  • Struggling with reading words
  • Reading very slowly
  • Reading and training has little effect
  • Reading monotonically and technically
  • Continuing to read words re-appearing in the text as if one has not read the word before
  • The development goes very slowly or stagnates
  • Difficulties understanding words, sentences, content and relationships in the text.

When reading unfamiliar texts signs become particularly apparent

  • Struggling with writing single words
  • Making many mistakes in writing
  • Writing slowly
  • Writing unclear
  • Writings briefly
  • Difficulties with starting to write
  • Not knowing what to write
  • Not being able to find words
  • Combining letters in one sentence the wrong way
  • Difficulties in predisposing, structuring and presenting the material
  • Difficulties in writing in a way that enables the reader to understand messages and connections within the text with ease.