Dysorthographia exercise: punctuation and capital letters

Some children with dysorthographia write long strings of words without a full stop or capital letter, or place punctuation at random. Their texts become difficult to read, even when the ideas are good. Punctuation and capital letters can nevertheless be learnt through simple exercises based on the voice. Here is how to work on them.

Why punctuation is forgotten

When a child concentrates on the spelling of words, they often forget to think about the structure of the sentence. The full stop and the capital letter move into the background. They write their ideas in one breath, without breaking them up. The text then looks like a long sentence without end.

Punctuation does, however, correspond to something they know very well: the pauses and intonation of the voice. By making the link between speech and writing, we help them understand its role. It stops being an abstract rule. The page dysorthographia and punctuation presents these difficulties.

Listening to the pauses of the voice

When we speak, we pause at the end of sentences, and the voice goes down. In writing, these pauses become full stops. You can read a text aloud to the child and ask them to tap the table at each pause.

They discover that each pause corresponds to a full stop in the text. You can then read a text without punctuation and ask them where they would place the full stops. They rely on meaning and on the voice. This oral work prepares them for writing. It shows the child that punctuation is not an invention of the school, but the trace of their own voice.

The capital letter after the full stop

After each full stop, the next sentence begins with a capital letter. The full stop and the capital letter can be presented as two inseparable friends. When the child puts a full stop, they immediately think of the capital letter.

One exercise consists of offering a text where the full stops are present but the capital letters are not. The child adds the missing capital letters. Then we do the reverse: capital letters present, full stops missing. They understand the link between the two. They remember that they always go together.

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Breaking a text into sentences

You can give the child a short text written in one block, without punctuation. They read it aloud, identify the pauses and place the full stops and capital letters. They then compare it with the original text.

This exercise develops both comprehension and punctuation. The child has to understand where one idea ends and the next begins. Start with very short texts, with simple sentences. Gradually lengthen them. The child is often proud to make a text readable that was not before.

The other signs

After the full stop, you can introduce the question mark, for questions, and the exclamation mark, for strong emotions. They are linked to a particular intonation, which the child reproduces when reading. The comma, which marks a small pause, comes next.

A game consists of reading the same sentence with different punctuation: « Tu viens. », « Tu viens ? », « Tu viens ! ». The child hears the difference and understands the role of each sign. They can then write their own sentences with each sign. The page dysorthographia and capital letters also covers proper nouns.

Checking one's own texts

After writing, the child reads their text aloud to check the punctuation. At each pause, they check that there is a full stop, and at each full stop, a capital letter. This check can be the first point of their proofreading checklist.

It is useful to start with this check, because it is simple and greatly improves the readability of the text. The child sees the result straight away. This quick success motivates them for what follows. A text well broken into sentences is already much more pleasant to read. The page on proofreading presents the full method.

Punctuation: the speech and language therapist's view

If the child has great difficulty breaking up their sentences, both orally and in writing, a speech and language therapist can assess the structure of their language. Specific work may be useful. These activities add to follow-up, they do not replace it.

You can find a speech and language therapist by town in the ProfessionnelsDys directory, by entering your child’s age. Bring a few recent texts, as punctuation is often revealing. The page on writing gives further advice on written work.