Dysgraphia: How to Spot This Lesser-Known Learning Disability
Learning disabilities such as dyslexia and ADHD have pretty much become household names, but dysgraphia has much less awareness surrounding it. Dysgraphia is a nervous system difficulty affecting the fine-motor skills needed to write and put thoughts to paper. Here are some signs to look out for if you suspect that you or your child have Dysgraphia:
Tight, awkward pencil grip and body position
Illegible handwriting
Avoiding writing or drawing tasks
Tiring quickly while writing
Saying words out loud while writing
Unfinished or omitted words in sentences
Difficulty organizing thoughts on paper
Difficulty with syntax and grammar
Large gap between written ideas and understanding demonstrated through speech
With Dysgraphia, the mechanics of writing and other foundational writing skills are also difficult, making a student more likely to fall behind their peers. The act of physically writing often helps the brain to remember, organize, and process information. When this action is difficult for a child, they can’t effectively show what they know or are trying to convey.
Dysgraphia symptoms typically change over time and children with this learning disability generally have trouble with the mechanics of writing and exhibit other fine-motor impairments. Adults’ symptoms manifest difficulties with grammar, syntax, comprehension, and the general notion of putting thoughts on paper.
Traditional treatments focus on accommodations and special services/support to circumvent writing-related tasks and/or improve writing skills, as attempts at remediation or repetition are simply not enough. However, cognitive exercises like those of the Arrowsmith Program exist to help improve processing speed, sequencing and executive functioning in the brain and strengthen the weaknesses behind Dysgraphia.
Whichever intervention you pursue, the first step is to recognize that writing difficulties may not simply stem from carelessness or lack of practice. Rather, things like illegible handwriting and skipped words could be symptoms of Dysgraphia. If you think you or your child might be struggling with this learning disability, consider reaching out so that you can take action as needed.