Dysgraphia: When Writing Becomes a Daily Challenge
- Dysgraphia is a learning disability that makes it difficult for children to write. There are two sides to dysgraphia — motor weaknesses that affect the physical process of writing, andcognitive challenges with written expression.
- Dysgraphia, like all learning disorders, is not something that is outgrown or cured, and is not a reflection of a child’s intellectual abilities or creativity. With the right treatment and support, dysgraphia can be effectively managed so that kids can learn to write and keep up with their peers.
Signs of Dysgraphia: When Writing Just Doesn’t Flow
- There are two categories of symptoms related to dysgraphia motor weaknesses and cognitive challenges. Children may experience challenges with just one area or both of them.
- Children may show signs of these motor issues:
- Consistent difficulty with forming letters, making them the same size, and spacing them correctly. Letters may be clustered together without spaces or not in a straight line Trouble holding a pencil, such as holding it awkwardly or needing to grip it extra tight Writing fatigue — writing can be tiring and cause hand cramps or pain On the cognitive side, children with dysgraphia may struggle with:
Difficulties with writing mechanics, like spelling, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure Trouble organizing their writing — they might have great ideas, but have a hard time getting them down onto paper in a coherent, structured way When it comes to noticing signs of dysgraphia, it’s important to look for consistency and patterns. “The more consistent something is, the more signs you have, the more concerned you’re going to be,” says Daryaneh Badaly, PhD, a senior clinical neuropsychologist at the Child Mind Institute. For example, if a child’s handwriting is occasionally messy, it likely isn’t a problem, but if they’re struggling to form letters most of the time, there may be an issue to address.
Supporting the Writer Within: Managing Dysgraphia
How can Dysgraphia be treated or managed?
There are many ways dysgraphia can be managed, both through specialized therapies and through accommodations that can help your child in the classroom
Occupational therapists can use interventions to help kids develop their fine motor skills and dexterity, like physical exercises to strengthen hand muscles, or even practicing writing letters in the air or in sand. Multisensory instruction, which is used to help children withdyslexia, can also be effective.
To help with written expression, there are special instructional approaches that psychologists and teachers or educational specialists can utilize. A couple examples are the Hochman Method, also called The Writing Revolution, and self-regulated strategy development (SRSD). Both of these approaches teach writing in a very structured way, which can be useful for children with dysgraphia.