Why is my drawing and writing so horrible?

by Kailyn
(Canada, British Columbia)

Hi. I'm sixteen years old and I have ADHD, all my life I have noticed that my writing has always not been the best.

Spelling has always been fine, but it's never neat like anyone else's around my age and I feel embarrassed. I'm left handed if that makes a difference, and I don't know if it has anything to do with holding the pencil (I'm pretty sure I'm holding it right) or is it with something how my brain works and processes?
Can someone help me with my frustration with this? I want to get better and want to know if I ever will. Thank you those who have taken the time to read and answer!
REALLY appreciated!!

Comments for Why is my drawing and writing so horrible?

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Developing your skills
by: OT Mom

Hi Kailyn,
I am sorry for the frustration you are feeling about your skills.

It is always trickier to learn new writing habits when you are out of elementary school, but it is not impossible!

There could be any kind of underlying issues - but the most common are weak fine motor skills and poor visual-motor integration. There are different things you could try - see what helps you.

Try some of the exercises I have put on this page: Fine Motor Activities for Older Kids

You could also try getting hold of the book Drawing With Children: A Creative Method for Adult Beginners, Too - some libraries may have it, and it is excellent for developing drawing skills (which spill over onto handwriting).

You could also try learning cursive italics, which I find to be a neat and flowing way to write. You can either do that by working through a Getty-Dubay handwriting book like this one

Or try the Handwriting Repair Program

I hope some of these ideas help. They may take some time and practice, but I am sure you will see some improvement after a while!

All the best!
Other causes
by: Lyn

Writing and drawing takes the ability to visualize (create a mental picture) of the object or letter you are drawing or writing. To see if you are visualizing the letters, try writing the alphabet with your eyes closed.

Another major factor at your age and with ADHD students is the process of thought organization for writing. They have great creative thoughts but must hurry to not forget them which often leads to messy handwriting. If there are issues in thought organization, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, the first to fall apart is the motor and spatial skills.

There are 10 questions to ask about handwriting on my website educational blog that could help you figure out the "why". www.lynaot.com
Handwriting help for adults
by: Lyn

Callirobics is a program for all ages which sets the strokes of both cursive and print to music. It helps with combining motor, rhythm of writing and visual without having to think about letter formation or spelling or written expression.
www.callirobics.com

However, with our modern technology, typing may be a great way to write if you have modifications for that in school. Don't let your "messy" writing keep you from putting your wonderful thoughts down either by pen or keyboarding! A lot of famous people have ADHD!

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