why a child is having difficulty in writing?

Whatsapp 91-9869405747 to understand what we can do for the same.

You donot fiddle with the tap when you already have an empty tank.

Beautiful analogy 👌 — this fits perfectly into your cognitive framework.

Below is a clean, powerful explanation written exactly for parents and teachers.

You can use this as a standalone blog section, inside the writing-difficulty article, or as a poster text.

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You Don’t Fiddle with the Tap When the Tank Is Empty

Understanding Writing Difficulty in Autism

Imagine a house with an empty water tank.

No matter how much you:

Adjust the tap

Change the pipe

Lower the water pressure

Repair the nozzle

👉 No water will come out, because the tank itself is empty.

This is a simple truth.

Yet, when it comes to autism, we forget this logic.

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The Brain Is the Tank. Writing Is the Tap.

In a child:

Brain = tank

Writing = tap

Hand movement, grip, finger tone = tap mechanism

If the brain tank is empty, nothing meaningful can come out on paper.

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What Empties the Brain Tank in Autism?

In autism, the core problem is not weak fingers or low muscle tone.

The real issue is sensory deficit and poor sensory integration.

The child:

Does not properly sense the world

Does not absorb experiences meaningfully

Does not fill the brain with ideas, language, images, or concepts

So the brain lacks:

Composition

Imagination

Sequence

Purpose

> An empty brain cannot write, even with strong fingers.

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Why Forcing Writing Is Futile

Many children with autism are made to:

Trace letters repeatedly

Copy words endlessly

Write lines and paragraphs

Parents are told:

“Practice more”

“Strengthen fingers”

“Improve pencil grip”

This is like:

> Fiddling with the tap when the tank is empty.

You may improve:

Grip

Pressure

Letter shape

But the child still cannot:

Express thoughts

Generate content

Write independently

Because writing is expression, not movement.

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Low Finger Tone Is Not the Main Barrier

Yes, some autistic children have:

Mild hypotonia

Poor fine motor control

But that is not what stops them from writing meaningfully.

A child with:

Good ideas

Rich language

Clear concepts

will write even with poor handwriting.

But a child with:

Empty cognitive tank

will struggle even if handwriting looks neat.

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What Actually Fills the Brain Tank?

The brain tank fills through sensory and cognitive input, not drills.

It fills when the child:

Observes the environment

Listens to rich language

Connects words with experiences

Develops awareness of people, objects, and actions

Forms mental images

Understands sequences and meaning

This is composition.

Sensory Deficit Blocks Composition in Autism

In autism:

Senses do not work together

Experiences remain fragmented

Meaning does not settle in the brain

So when asked to write:

The child has nothing to pull from

No inner content to express

> You cannot expect output when there is no input.

The Correct Order: Fill First, Then Write

According to Dr Santosh Kondekar, development follows a simple order:

1. Sensory awareness

2. Attention and receptiveness

3. Language and cognition

4. Composition in the brain

5. Expression through speech or writing

Skipping steps leads to failure.

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Writing Is a Cognitive Act, Not a Motor Task

Writing requires:

Thinking

Remembering

Organising ideas

Sequencing

Purpose

Hands only deliver what the brain prepares.

> Hands do not write.

Brains write.

Practical Message for Parents and Teachers

Stop forcing writing when the brain tank is empty

Don’t blame finger tone for cognitive emptiness

First fill the brain with:

Language

Experiences

Awareness

Meaning

Writing will follow naturally

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Final Take-Home Line:

> “You don’t adjust the tap when the tank is empty.

First fill the brain, then expect writing.”

This single principle can save a child from:

Unnecessary pressure

Repeated failure

Loss of confidence

**Why a Child Cannot Write If He Cannot Think:

The Forgotten Science of INPUT Before OUTPUT**

Focus on INPUT — Output Will Follow

Introduction: The Common Cry of Parents and Teachers

“He doesn’t write.”

“She knows everything orally but can’t put it on paper.”

“He has poor handwriting.”

“She refuses to write.”

These are some of the most frequent complaints heard in clinics, schools, and parent–teacher meetings. The usual response is also predictable: more handwriting practice, more worksheets, stronger grip exercises, more pressure.

Yet despite all this effort, progress remains painfully slow—or absent.

Why?

Because writing is not a motor skill problem.

Writing is a language, thinking, memory, and input problem.

This article aims to shift the focus from forcing output to nurturing input, a principle that applies universally—but becomes absolutely critical in children with autism, ADHD, language delay, and learning disabilities.

Writing Does Not Start in the Fingers

Writing Starts in the Mind

Before a child writes a word, sentence, or paragraph, a lot must already exist inside the brain.

Let us state a fundamental truth plainly:

If a child cannot read, he cannot write.

If a child cannot explain in words, he cannot write.

Writing is simply visible thinking.

If thinking is weak, writing will be weak—no matter how strong the fingers are.

Unfortunately, modern education often puts the hand before the head.

The Inside-Out Model of Writing

Writing is the last step of a long internal process.

It does not appear suddenly when a pencil is placed in the hand.

The correct sequence is:

Listening

Understanding

Thinking

Memory

Reading

Speaking

Writing

Let us understand each step briefly.

1. Listening: The First Gate of Learning

Language enters the brain primarily through the ears, not the eyes.

A child who has not:

heard enough language,

listened to stories,

engaged in conversations,

will have very little linguistic material stored inside.

No listening → no language bank.

This is especially important for young children and neurodivergent children, who need far more repetitions than neurotypical peers.

2. Understanding: Words Must Carry Meaning

Hearing words is not enough.

The brain must connect words to meaning.

For example, a child may hear the word “tree” many times, but unless it is connected to:

real trees,

pictures,

experiences,

the word remains empty sound.

Writing requires meaningful language, not memorized noise.

3. Thinking: Language Needs Mental Play

Thinking is the ability to:

compare,

imagine,

recall,

sequence,

reason.

Children who struggle with writing often struggle silently with thinking skills. They may:

give one-word answers,

repeat memorized lines,

fail to elaborate.

Writing demands original thought—even at a simple level.

4. Memory: The Storage of Thought

Writing depends heavily on working memory and long-term memory.

A child must remember:

words,

sentence structures,

ideas,

sequences.

If memory is weak, the child knows something one moment and loses it the next—leading to frustration and avoidance of writing.

5. Reading: The Blueprint of Written Language

Reading teaches the brain:

how sentences are formed,

how ideas flow,

how paragraphs are organized.

A child who does not read—or is forced to write without adequate reading exposure—is being asked to build a house without seeing one.

6. Speaking: Writing Without a Pencil

Speaking is a rehearsal for writing.

If a child cannot:

narrate an event,

explain an idea,

describe a picture verbally,

expecting written expression is unrealistic.

If you cannot say it, you cannot write it.

7. Writing: The Final Output

Only after all the above steps are sufficiently developed does writing emerge naturally.

At this stage, the hand becomes just a tool—not the creator.

The Biggest Mistake: Chasing Output

Most educational systems focus obsessively on output:

marks,

answers,

speed,

handwriting neatness.

But output only reveals what already exists inside.

You cannot extract what was never fed.

INPUT vs OUTPUT: The Core Law of Learning

Input Is More Important Than Output

This principle is simple but deeply ignored:

When you want to improve OUTPUT,

you must multiply INPUT.

Let us express it mathematically:

For X output,

the input required may be 10–20 times X.

One written sentence requires:

many heard sentences,

many read sentences,

many discussed sentences.

This ratio increases further in:

autism,

ADHD,

learning disability,

language delay.

Expecting equal input and output is unrealistic.

Quantity AND Quality of Input Matter

Input is not just about more—it is also about better.

Poor-quality input:

passive screen time,

background music,

random videos,

mechanical repetition.

High-quality input:

meaningful conversation,

interactive reading,

explanation with examples,

repetition with variation.

Quality + quantity together create results.

Why Output Pressure Backfires

When parents and teachers push output prematurely:

anxiety increases,

avoidance behaviors appear,

confidence drops,

learning shuts down.

Children begin to associate writing with failure, not expression.

The Plant Analogy: Growth Cannot Be Forced

You do not pull a plant to make it grow.

You water it again and again.

Water = Input

Growth = Output

More water, sunlight, and care

→ healthier growth.

Similarly:

More listening,

More reading,

More explaining,

→ natural writing development.

The Bhagavad Gita Analogy: A Timeless Principle

The Bhagavad Gita states:

“Karmanyeva adhikaraste,

Ma phaleshu kadachana”

Translated meaning:

You have the right to action (karma),

not to the fruits of action (phala).

Applied to Child Learning

Karma (Your role):

teaching,

talking,

reading,

explaining,

repeating patiently.

Phala (Result):

writing,

answering,

academic performance.

When parents focus on results alone, frustration rises.

When they focus on right action, results follow in their own time.

Writing Is Not always Motor Skill Issue

Let us say this clearly:

Writing is not a finger problem.

Writing is not a grip problem.

Writing is not a handwriting problem.

Writing is an input problem.

Occupational therapy has its place—but without cognitive and language input, motor training alone cannot produce meaningful writing.

Special Note for Autism, ADHD, and Learning Disabilities

Neurodivergent children:

process information differently,

require more repetition,

need structured input.

Their brains are not defective—they are different.

Expecting typical output timelines without adjusting input is unfair and counterproductive.

What Parents Should Do Differently

Instead of asking:

“Why is he not writing?”

Ask:

“How much meaningful input is he receiving daily?”

Practical shifts:

Talk more, instruct less

Read to the child before asking him to read

Ask open-ended questions

Encourage verbal expression

Reduce worksheet obsession

Final Takeaway

Before writing, fill thoughts.

Before output, multiply input.

Before expecting results, do your karma.

When the mind becomes rich, the hand follows naturally.

References

Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind in Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes. Harvard University Press.

National Reading Panel (2000). Teaching Children to Read. NIH.

Berninger, V. (2012). Strengthening the Mind’s Eye: The Case for Handwriting Instruction.

American Academy of Pediatrics (2019). Language and learning development guidelines.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 47.

Snow, C. E., Burns, M. S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing Reading Difficulties in Young Children. National Academy Press.

Author

Dr Santosh Kondekar

Autism & Child Development

🌐 www.autismdoctor.in