Diagnose and Treat Dysgraphia

Specific Learning Disability in Writing

Feb 27, 2008
Jennifer Wagaman

Specific Writing Disability - cohdra

Information on the diagnosis and treatment of Dysgraphia, a specific learning disability in the area of writing.

Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability in the area of written expression. There are three types of Dysgraphia:

Dyslexic Dysgraphiais where the first draft of a paper is illegible but copied work is acceptable. A child with this type of disgraphia will have difficulty with spelling as well. Dyslexic dysgraphia does not necessarily mean that the child has dyslexia, a reading disability.

Motor Dysgraphia is defined as having a deficit in fine motor skills, poor dexterity and poor muscle tone. A child with motor dysgraphia will usually illegible handwriting, even when the work is copied. Letter formation in isolation is okay, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Spelling is generally okay for this child.

Spatial dysgraphia would present itself in illegible written work, even when the work is copied. In contrast, a child with spatial dysgraphia usually has normal spelling skills.

(Deuel, Ruthmary K., M.D. Developmental Dysgraphia and Motor Skills Disorders. Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 10, Supp.1. January 1995, pp. S6-S8)

General Symptoms that Accompany Dysgraphia

Students who have a specific disability in writing often lack basic spelling skills. They may often confuse the letters: b, q, p, and d. These students will often write the wrong words when attempting to put their thoughts down on paper, as well. A teacher may notice that the student’s letters are inappropriately spaced, are incomplete or are a mixture of upper and lower case letters all in the same word.

The student may have an odd grip on pencil or pen, complain about pain while writing, or simply refuse to write. In addition, the writing itself may simply be illegible. Even so, illegibility should not be the sole qualifying factor in diagnosing a writing disability.

How is Dysgraphia Diagnosed?

Causes of Dysgraphia include genetics, head trauma, brain damage and disease. In order to diagnose dysgraphia, a parent or teacher would first be aware of the problem. A family physician will then generally refer the child to an occupational therapist who will do a battery of tests. These tests will look for pre-writing skills including:

Fine motor skills
Visuomotor integration (which involves being able to coordinate your hand and eyes together)
Smooth strokes
Perceptual discrimination of shapes/letters/numbers
Orientation to printed page
Ability to recognize letters

Professionals involved in the diagnosis include the occupational therapist, school psychologist, and special educator. Once a writing disability is identified, the student should begin to receive help to improve their writing skills.

How is Dysgraphia Treated?

An occupational therapist will often work with a child diagnosed with dysgraphia, teaching letter formation with directional sequence first, then blending those letters into words. Often, multi-sensory programs are used to teach reading and writing, and the Orton-Gillingham Method has shown to be helpful.

What Can You do to Help?

There are many things that can easily be done in the classroom and at home to reinforce skills or teach a child with dysgraphia. These include:

Use paper with clear lines printed for height and depth of letters (this means the child knows where the top middle and bottom of each letter should go).
Have the child write daily – and allow choice in what he writes.
Encourage letter writing.
Avoid making writing a punishment or negative activity.
Any other activities that help work on fine motor skills.

To help with hand-eye coordination, encourage activities that require cutting, making crafts, cooking, baking and participating in sports. To help with visual memory, play card games, marbles and jacks.

Learn more tips to effectively teach writing, including more tips on teaching a student with a writing disability.

You may also be interested in how to help improve a student's handwriting.

Jennifer Wagaman - Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has both public, private and administrative experience in the education field.

Comments

Oct 10, 2008 2:59 PM

Guest :

Last week my English teacher talked to saying I might have a slight case of dysgraphia. Her son (who is now in med school) has this disability and she says I display many of the same symptoms. When my teacher told me of this I had a strange feeling I can’t describe. My mind I find my greatest attribute, and have never known it to truly fail me before. I am a sophomore in high school, taking a slew of honors courses. Almost every report card greats me with strait A’s, but this comes with extreme stress. All though my school days I’ve heard so may “She is so bright, but her handwriting and spelling is atrocious.” Though I haven’t yet been diagnosed, I feel both a burden lifted and a burden given. On one hand I’m worried, for lack of a better word, about my “learning disability” (those seem like such strong words for one would loves to learn as much as myself). Alternatively, it’s good to know that soppiness may not be to blame for your incompetent spelling and illegible handwriting. (I’ve been trying to tell my teachers that for years). I hope to be a Geriatric doctor after school, and if I have this condition, I won’t let it get in the way.

Dec 7, 2008 3:34 PM

Guest :

hi, im 15 + i was diagnosed with dysgraphia by a child sycolagist, if there are any other people who are dysgraphic aswell, do you find it hurts when you write? I do alot, but ive actally lernt to toch tipe + i i got a notebook for my bday and its really helping with school + homework. But im also starting to wonder if I really iam dysgraphic, you never know, it might be because i am also left handed. but i liek being left handed. Oh yeah + the learning sepport techer at school is a reader/scribe for me in exsams aswell.

Dec 7, 2008 5:59 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

Depending on how you hold your pencil, the left-handedness may or may not be a part of your problem. When writing, attempt to keep your arm, wrist and hand in a straight line instead of bending at the wrist to hold the pencil. Otherwise, pain while writing is very much a symptom of Dysgraphia, and is most often the first symptom students will complain of and the first symptom teachers will dismiss.

Dec 30, 2008 4:50 PM

Guest :

Jennifer, I have a question: The National Center for Learning Disabilities carries the description of dysgraphia beyond the mechanics of letter formation and spelling to difficulties in written composition, such as organizing thoughts, grammar and syntax, and a gap between written ideas and understanding as demonstrated through speech. How would these aspects of dysgraphia be tested/diagnosed?

Dec 30, 2008 5:04 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

The difficulty that students have in writing beyond the mechanics of letter formation are indeed a large part of a writing disability. When a student is referred for testing at the school level, a school psychiatrist and a special educator will both give the student a battery of tests such as the Woodcock Johnson and others, to make a diagnosis. Many things go into the diagnosis of a disability, including these tests, observations, and classwork.

Jan 19, 2009 7:12 AM

Guest :

After reading about Dysgraphia, I think my son may have this problem, although he doesn't seem to fit all the criteria. He is in the third grade, and is very bright, tested to be gifted. His reading and comprehension are well above grade level as well as his verbal communication. However, his handwriting and spelling are terrible. We work on his spelling lists until I think he knows them, but when the test comes home he has missed half of them - either misspelled or so messy his teacher couldn't read it. When I insist on better handwriting, he is very slow - and it is still pretty messy. Also, when I read his writing, he leaves out words, misspells words he should know or spelled correctly two lines above. I have asked his teacher about his writing and how to help him, and she is dismissive saying that he will do better when it is important to him. I think she assumes he is just being lazy - which I have thought before. I am unsure if I should pursue this further at school, or go to our pediatrician. Any suggestions? One other thing, he did have some developmental visual problems when he younger - tracking, etc... We did therapy at home for six months, and he improved. After that is when his reading took off. Could the two be related?

Jan 20, 2009 2:37 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

The one thing you did not mention was any details about his writing ability. If his difficulty is purely handwriting, it may not be dysgraphia. If you would like to pursue this further, you can either talk to a pediatrician or request testing from the school. You will most likely have to provide some information explaining your concerns (sample papers and other work). More important than having your child labeled, is ensuring that your child has all opportunities to excel.

Jan 27, 2009 5:48 PM

Guest :

I can't believe I am just now hearing of this...My son has started having issues in school. He is turning 9 and in 3rd grade. I have gone as far as switching schools this year...this has helped so we can now work on his issues instead of the school not wanting to deal with anything and calling me all the time. My son gets b, q, p, and d confussed during writing all the time. I am always saying...nope that is a b not a d. Last year he wrote too small for the paper the teacher wanted him to use...this year he is writing big and sloppy compared to last year. We have been working on his penmanship...but he gets really irritated and hates to write because of it. We are not working on anger issues because he gets so mad when he has to write. I am going to call his school counselor tomorrow and ask her about this. Thank you sooo much for this information. I was on this site looking for a little help with his penmanship and you may have just helped find the answer to my prayers. Thanks so much! If this is the case you can be sure I will go back to the school that wanted to keep kicking him out for a few days at a time and give them a piece of my mind...lol

Feb 7, 2009 9:06 AM

Guest :

My son is fifteen and a sophmore in highschool. We have continually had problems with him in school and always thought it was just pure lazyness and carelessness. In grade school he would often forget assignments in his locker that were completed, never wanted to share what he was learning....and never wanted to show us. We arranged to have the teachers sign off on what books needed to go home making sure he had all that he needed. He has managed to sweak by all these years, with comments from teaches that he has the ability. On a recient standardized test he scored high marks in english comprehension & reading.....strangely the one course he has just failed. I came across a current paper of his and noticed how he writes, the same as grade school, not on the lines but in between. I recall commenting on it years back to him, and yet nothing has changed. He is very withdrawn, angry, and disrespectful...yet, has many good decent friends. I am not sure he has a learning disability or some other problems...or just simply being a rebelious teenager.

Feb 7, 2009 10:22 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

From what you have mentioned, it does not sound as if your son has a learning disability. Even so, I do not know your son and have not seen his work, so if you are concerned, I would recommend talking to his teachers and perhaps request testing. Typically, a learning disability would show itself in a poor grade on the standardized test as well, and the fact that he did well on that test seems to indicate that perhaps it is not "cool" to do well in class, or that some other issue is in play.

Feb 19, 2009 12:39 PM

Guest :

I am starting to be concerned that my 6 year old daughter might have a learning disability, and that it might be dysgraphia.
She is in first grade and has always been one of the top readers in the class. She has always struggled with writing.

In Montessori they recognized that she had poor fine motor skills. We had her tested at an early intervention programme and she tested with in her age group for all things though they did note that her handwriting was poor.

She is now in first grade, her writing is not improving as the school expected it to. She still has a lot of letter reversals. She consistently mixes up b and d in both reading and writing.She struggles to write the letter S she writes the lower part and then adds the top bit, and the g is almost always backwards and looks like an e. She regularly writes all of her words backwards and has been known to write entire sentences backwards. She often forgets to use spaces in her words, her writing is not on the line, she does not use capital letters or full stops, the size of the letters will vary widely and she does not spell words, that she knows, correctly. She generally does well on spelling tests if you take into consideration that the letters are backwards. However she does not seem to be able to transfer her spellings into her written work.

This becomes acutely obvious when free-writing.
It took her almost a year to learn to hold a pencil properly. She loves to paint and draw but does not colour inside the lines well.

When given a writing task, say use the spelling words in sentences she often gets frustrated. At school she is creative and is advanced in her ability to write a story but it is difficult to read. She often finishes the writing task quickly.

We live on a small island in the Caribbean so finding testing is not easy. What would you reccomend we do to determine wether we should have her tested?

Thank you!

Feb 19, 2009 4:43 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

I am not sure how the school system works where you live, but my recommendation would be to talk to your child's pediatrician or the school about testing. Many schools are reluctant to test a young child and may wait until second grade to begin the testing process in order to allow teachers to gather more data regarding the child's abilities. This being said, if you are concerned and would like your child tested, I would discuss the issue with your child's teacher or other school administration for further guidance.

Feb 21, 2009 9:57 AM

Guest :

My grandson is now 17. He writes with his left hand but does everything else with his right hand. He has had many problems with English and writing at school, and was often in trouble for not doing work and taking too long to copy things from the blackboard. He preferred to get into trouble rather than do written work. We were told that he was lazy and that he could 'do it if he tried'. We have even been told that he is stupid. In desperation, when he was 16, we had him tested for dyslexia. The diagnosis was that he is not dyslexic but has phonological processing problems, including speed. His writing looks as though a 6 year old has written it. He is quick witted, and seems to have a good memory. When he has learnt a tune he never needs to lok at the music again and can learn to play a tune by ear. He can also remember jokes and events from the past. Do you think he may have dysgraphia? His whole life is being affected by his inability to write and spell properly, including his attitude. Job applications are a real problem. If he can he avoids writing like the plague.

Feb 22, 2009 8:53 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

Without knowing your grandson and working with him, I have no way of accurately answering your question. If you want to have him tested for dysgraphia, I would go to his school or doctor and request testing. As he is already 17, a diagnosis may not be helpful, though. You may benefit more from understanding the disability and working carefully with him, providing him tools and strategies to fill out job applications and other writing tasks that he will be required to do as an adult.

Mar 7, 2009 7:37 PM

Guest :

Hi, my son is 13 yaers old and his teachers have mentioned since grade school that they could not read what he writes. He is great verbally and teachers tell me that when they can't read his written responses they have him respond orally. He can give great verbal responses but when he tries to put them in writing it's only 1/3 of how he explains it verbally. He still complains of pain in his hands when he has to write and one paragraph can take him more than 3 hours to write. What can I do now at the age of 13? Where can I take him to get evaluated? Next school year he will be in ninth grade and I fear that note taking will become a big problem.
Thank you,
Worried mother

Mar 8, 2009 5:19 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

I would talk to both your son's pediatrician and the school about your concerns. The bottom line is that you want him to be able to succeed in high school, and you may need to be his advocate in order to get that to happen. The Pediatrician will be able to tell you how to get him evaluated if the school does not wish to. Then, you can take the results of the evaluation to the school in order to get modifications for him, if indeed he does have a disability. If not, you will need to work closely with his teachers, and find ways to help him succeed.

Mar 23, 2009 12:13 PM

Guest :

I never knew why I had such a hard time writing while I was growing up. I have always been considered to have above average intelligence, but could never write legibly. I ended up dropping out of high school becasue I could never pass any class that required me to write. I went into the military at age 17 where I thrived in the electronics field. I have always had a knack for math and science, being able to figure most things out in my head. I found that I had very good troubleshooting skills as well. I don't see things in a linear fashion and tend to do a lot of things out of what normal people would consider to be the right sequence. I did end up going to college during my military career and left with two bachelor's degrees in engineering. Since my military retirement, I started working in Homeland Security where I do a lot of writing. My writing, including keyborading, is out of sequence most of the time but I do have my co-workers have a look for me. I'm getting better but it is still a challenge. One item of that might be of interest is that I have always been able to read and write mirror image and upside down as easily as reading and writing normal. Of course, my handwriting is not really legible either direction. I still have anxiety when I need to fill out a form in ink. I usually have to have several blank forms just to get one good one completed. I am also one of the most directionally challenged people that you will ever meet. Without a map or GPS, I am lost. I don't mind though, I just get to see more than most people do along the way. My co-workers kid me about that all the time. I'm 46 now and living with dysgraphia ahs been an adventure and a fun ride. I glad that neither of my sons had to deal with it though.

May 6, 2009 6:33 PM

Guest :

I think my 9 year old has dysgraphia. However, I can't find anywhere in my area that test for it. He was tested for dyslexia and did not have it. Any suggestions?? We live in Alabama. Thanks!

May 15, 2009 5:58 AM

Guest :

I have two boys, a 9 year old (in third grade) and a 16 year old (junior in high school). Both of my boys have been tested for gifted, and have IQ's in the 140-145 range. Both of my boys are considered verbally advanced. Both of my boys have struggled with writing. Both complain that it is painful to write, and both have an odd grip on the pencil/pen that despite much practice and work has never improved. When compairing the two boys' handwriting, there is little to differnce it except that the 16 year old writes smaller and is more likely to stay within the lines. In terms of spelling and whatnot, my older boy has always excelled at spelling, while my younger boy frequently mis-spells words and will even spell one word three different ways in the course of one or two paragraphs. Also, my younger boy mixes up his p's, q's, b's and d's. He also often writes his numbers backwards. As I live in Florida, my younger boy will be subject to the FCAT Writes test next school year. His teachers, and I, are concerned that he will not be able to pass this test which is required for promotion to fifth grade. As it so happens, this was a concern for my older son as well. What is the best way to get my boys diagnosed, and is it too late for my older boy?

May 15, 2009 9:38 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

I would speak to your pediatrician about your concerns, as well as your boy's teachers. You may need to spend extra time with both boys, working on their writing. Perhaps a tutor would be helpful as well.

May 23, 2009 4:41 AM

Guest :

i think my son has dysgraphia but the school have never said,he is under special needs at school,but he needs a scribe to do his work.

Sep 30, 2009 6:39 AM

Guest :

MY SON IS 6 AND IN AN INCLUSION SETTING . HE SUFFERS FROM FAMILIAL ESSENTIAL TREMMOR IN HIS HANDS AND FINDS WRITING DIFFICULT. IF WE DO HIS HOMEWORK ON THE COMPUTER HE DOES EXCELLENT BUT WHEN HE WRITES IT IS ILLEIGIBLE, A MESS SPACIALLY AND FREQUENT LETTERS ARE BACKWARDS.I DONT KNOW WHAT IT COULD BE. HE HAS DIFFICULTY FORMING SENTENCES IT TAKES HIM QUITE A LONG TIME TO COEM UP WITH THE FORMAT BUT WHEN WE DO IT ON THE COMPUTER IT WORKS BETTER THAN IF I HAVE HIM WRITE IT...WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Oct 1, 2009 5:34 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

It sounds like your son would qualify to use a computer for all of his work due to his medical problem. I would speak to his teachers and his doctor about what the best course of action would be going forward.

Nov 5, 2009 2:59 PM

Guest :

I'm almost 20 years old, and currently attend university. I do very well in school, I can spell very well, but I have very messy writing and I find I write letters and numbers in the wrong order a lot. I know how to spell the words but when I go to write them down, I mix up the order of the letters and have to write the whole thing over again. In math if I don't pay close attention I will mix up something like 304 with 340 or things like that. I rarely mix up d's and b's, but it has happened. I recognize after I've written the words, but I typically scratch out lots of words on written exams. Do you think this sounds like dysgraphia?

Also, could this affect social situations? I read something about dysgraphia being linked with aspergers syndrome. I do find that a lot of the time if I'm talking to people I'm not very comfortable around I have difficulty expressing my thoughts. Any ideas?

Thanks!!

Nov 5, 2009 5:07 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

It sounds like you are learning to compensate for your difficulties. If you are concerned about having Dysgraphia, you should speak to a Dr. about testing.

Nov 6, 2009 10:11 AM

Guest :

My son has a disability in written expression. He was in OT from 1st grade until 6th grade. His handwriting looks like a kindergarten student's handwriting. Since he has been through OT and handwriting classes, what more can I do? He does have a laptop that he uses at school for assignments and he has help with all major tests. I would like for him to be able to at least write his name somewhat neat for future use ie: job applications, legal forms, notes to whoever. Any suggestions?

Nov 9, 2009 6:50 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

You would be best to ask that question of the specialists who have been working with your son. Without knowing what strategies and interventions have been tried I would not know what to recommend. One idea is to have him use a jiggle pen to practice writing - this helps his hand feel the motion of writing and may help improve his handwriting when he writes with a normal pen.

Nov 27, 2009 4:16 PM

Guest :

Jennifer, how is dysgraphia related to a reading disability? Thanks

Dec 3, 2009 4:33 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

Great question, the two are related in that reading and writing are related. Children who are participating in reading recovery programs are taught using a combination of reading and writing. Writing is simple the breakdown of reading into the individual letters.

Mar 4, 2010 1:34 PM

Guest :

My son is in second grade (just turned 8). He does well on spelling tests when we have practised the words all week. However, he misspells the same words when he has to write them in a sentence.He forms letters correctly. However, he is extremely slow at writing, and does not write at all if it can be avoided. His teacher is very old school, and insists on a lot of written work. We are coping with this by asking her to send all unfinished work home. We then work with him to finish it and send it to school the next day. However, I have found that it takes him 10-15 minutes to write 2-3 words. So, I have started asking him what he wants to say, and I write it in very light pencil. He then traces over it. That goes fast, and we can finish homework/schoolwork in a reasonable period of time. He is also diagnosed with ADHD, but he is very advanced in reading and math. He has read all Harry Potter books, and can read anything and comprehend well. I wonder if he also has dysgraphia, and if typing might be a solution.

Mar 5, 2010 3:47 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

Your son might benefit from typing if the teacher will allow it. I would encourage him to write every day either way, though, perhaps in a journal or for an incentive, to make writing by hand a more motivating task for him. If you are concerned about dysgraphia or if it seems to hurt his hand to write, you should speak to his pediatrician and see about some testing.

Mar 29, 2010 4:24 PM

Guest :

i have a specfic learning disabillity. and i am only 12 years old. school is very hard for me. i would cry about school.some times i go on the computer and read about my learning disabillity.

Apr 6, 2010 5:42 AM

Guest :

Great Article! Researching material regarding a 14-year old boy with a traumatic brain injury that presents with executive/cognitive disabilities, is left handed for personal hygiene, eating and writing. Child was midline before susaining TBI. Has extreme difficulty writing, reading, etc. Looking for any information that may assist in the childs education. Thank You, NK Clark, Buxton, ME

May 11, 2010 4:37 PM

Guest :

I'm 17 and I have Dysgraphia. (sounds like I’m in an AA meeting.) I have lived with the knowledge of what Dysgraphia is unlike so many others, I do however also have a number of other disorders that I acquired through natural selection. (No wonder why I never gamble or anything like that. Way too unlucky.) I live a nearly normal life and my teachers and parents understand about what this disorder is and how to help me.

My response to my 12 year old college is that you should suck it up. I have been fighting so many disadvantages against my classmates that I know what you go through plus more. I have bilateral hearing aids and glasses as thick as can be. I deal with many of life's hard ships but never once have I cried about it. You need to understand that you are at a "slight" disadvantage but it doesn't mean that your hopeless.

Your life is what you make of it, live it well.

May 11, 2010 4:41 PM

Guest :

Also from my earlyer comment today I have found weighted pens and pencles to be usefull.

Put a large heavy earaser at the end of a Pen or Pencle to correct writing possture

Aug 25, 2010 10:06 AM

Guest :

HELP! My child's tutor has told us to research about this as she suspects my child might have dsygraphia. We lieve in Pasco county, Florida and we do not know who to reach out to to get our child tested and what other steps we need to take. She gets good grades bu has trouble with some of the sections of the state's standard tests.

Aug 25, 2010 4:32 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

If your school will not test, which with good grades they may not, you can speak to your pediatrician about testing.

Sep 13, 2010 12:25 PM

Guest :

I have a 10 year old daughter that I am sure has dysgraphia. We homeschool, and we are gradually helping her to improve in the problem areas with a lot of one on one time with her. My question is this: Is there a good reason for actually having her tested to have a "diagnosis" on paper, or is it not enough to recognise that she has it, do the research, and use the many suggestions given to try to help her improve and do as well as she can? She has every "symptom" there is for dysgraphia. She writes slowly, hates writing, words are not uniformly written or spaced. Can spell well verbally, but when transfers the same words to paper, letters are switched, backwards, not complete, some big, some small, etc.... Writing is painful, and after writing for a short time, she says she is hurting and wants to quit. Though she is very immaginative and likes to be creative and gets excited about having her stories written, she tries, and about a paragraph into it, decides it's too hard and hurts too much. She struggles with remembering to hold eating utinsels correctly, prefers to use her fingers to eat, and finally learned to tie shoes this year, but hates them (tie shoes) anyway. We have done strengthening exercises with her for her hands, and have used any suggestions we find via books/the internet and others to help her. She is not dyslexic, for she reads avidly now, after an initial slow start. Just wondering if the "experts" can really do any more for her than we can, and if it will really be to her benefit to be "labeled" with a learning disorder. I am a parent who loves her child, has already homeschooled three other children through graduation successfully ( two of those on to college), so I am not inexperienced with teaching. She is very smart, and excels in anything social and/or verbal. So again I ask, what more could an "expert" do for her? and what benefit is there to having a written diagnosis?

Sep 13, 2010 3:11 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

It sounds as if you are doing a great job with your daughter. It is up to you, but I probably would not have her tested if I were in your situation. The important thing is to help her work around her disability and be able to be successful in whatever she chooses to do with her future (so that might mean prepping for college note taking or filling out applications)

Sep 20, 2010 10:00 PM

Guest :

We have just done extensive psychoeducational testing (WISC and academic testing) to evaluate my daughter for a possible learning disability. Testing showed has very high verbal skills and working memory, but a slow processing speed. She is a good reader but her spelling is in the 5th percentile based on her IQ, and her handwriting is legible but looks more like that of a 1st grader rather than a 4th grader. She has excellent fine motor skills outside of writing and she has never complained of pain while writing. I have two specific questions:
1. Could her dysgraphia be a symptom of her slow processing speed?
2. Now that we have had her tested by an educational psychologist, who is our best resource to assess for dysgraphia...an OT, a dyslexia specialist, or another professional?

Sep 21, 2010 11:40 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

These are great questions, but really not something I can answer. You should discuss these concerns with the educational psychologist who tested your daughter.

Nov 17, 2010 7:27 AM

Guest :

Hi, I was diagnosed with a disorder of written expression along with receptive/expressive disorder several years back. I now watch my children struggling with the same issues. My 2 boys both struggled with penmanship as well as written expression. My daughter, who is now 13, seems to be more like me. I had problems with writing. It seems like I struggle finding the words, or I lose track of where I was going with what I was writing. They said it was not ADD and I excelled in school as long as the class didn't involve writing as the primary testing medium. Short answer and identification I did ok with, but timed papers were impossible for me. I am wondering if this would be a form of dysgraphia? It takes such effort and time to get the words out. Typing is 2 finger and slow. I ask, because I am wondering now if a better understanding of these disorders might make more ways available for me to help my daughter. Are there any newer testing methods I could look into for her?

Nov 18, 2010 9:50 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

For testing, you would have to speak to your pediatrician or the school. Two things did occur to me though after reading your comment: first, when writing a longer essay, try teaching your daughter how to write an outline first, then she will have something to follow to help her remember where she was going with her writing and she doesn't have to rely on her memory. Second, since typing is slow and only 2 fingers, both you and your daughter would probably benefit from a typing tutorial, which would teach you the fingerings and help the typing itself to not be the focus of your mental effort.

Nov 29, 2010 2:36 PM

Guest :

I have most of these problems. i am in the a class for all of the top smartest kids in my school. i ma in 7th grade and i have a high school reading level dut my hand writing is very bad and i often confust d and b. i am worrying i have this. i rite in the lines and somtimes i start writing in print then i start writing in cursive and it is very annoying, please help me!

Nov 29, 2010 4:58 PM

Jennifer Wagaman :

You need to speak to your teacher or guidance counselor for help.

Jan 27, 2011 8:01 AM

Guest :

I am in the process of trying to help my son (9 years old, 4th grade) to figure out what's going on with his writing. Last year, he was diagnosed by the public school with a "disability in written expression" but we didn't know the causes, a specific diagnosis, or what interventions would best help him succeed. This year, we have ruled out dyslexia (he has above grade average reading comprehension and verbal skills), but I am unable to find anyone to test for dysgraphia. My son can compose an essay-type piece out loud, but can not write it, has poor (but not awful) handwriting, but mostly just can not spell even simple words. I have read over the comments/suggestions here and elsewhere, and the "experts" make it sound so easy to get dysgraphia diagnosed. I'm not finding it to be easy, as physicians don't know about dysgraphia, the school district doesn't test for it, and even the Scottish Rite doens't work with dysgraphia. Where do you recommend going for someone who can actually diagnose/test for dysgraphia?

Jan 27, 2011 11:39 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

If your son was diagnosed with a disability in written expression, that is indeed a diagnosis of dysgraphia from my experience. The school system does not call it dysgraphia, instead it is called a "writing disability" or a "disability in written expression" and they leave it at that, but it is the same thing.

Aug 5, 2011 7:49 AM

Guest :

My son is starting 7th grade and has been diagnosed with ADHD and Dysgraphia since grade 1. Having these "official" diagnosis has been helpful in getting teachers to allow for typing, using "special pens and pencils/grippers" which otherwise may have been banned as they were considered "toys" and distractions. Also helps discussing my son's issues with teachers and getting them on board with helping him (though not using it as excuses!). My son struggles all the time, but has been improving with leaps and bounds every year. He makes A's and B's. His confidence has been a major issue. We stress legibility, not really neetness etc. and encourage him to not worry about neatness when he is writing. The writing issue had him avoiding writing as much as he could which hurt him. His 6th grade english teachers put it the best way possible: I need to teach him as if he were a person who couldn't swim but who was afraid of water. First you have to show them not to fear the water. He is afraid of a blank paper. He needs to overcome his fear before he can write". Teachers are SO important!!

Mar 15, 2012 12:42 PM

Guest :

My Sister is currently living in the U.K and is having a few problems with her daughter's writing and understanding skills. One of the biggest problems here is trying to find out just what is exactly. None of her teachers "understand" what’s happening or why. They're also unable to refer my niece to anyone in order to get a diagnosis, or even help.
My niece is seven years old, can spell her words & read them with no trouble. However, the problem that she is having is when she is writing sentences. For example, she can spell the word "what" correctly in a spelling test, but when it comes to adding this word into a sentence, she will spell "wot". She also has difficulties performing a task. Her teacher may explain something to her, and then she'll go off to perform the task, yet she really has no idea what has been said. She cannot grasp many words or use them in writing. She can only spell them correctly. She does have a few difficulties with punctuation, but she's only seven and is still learning. My sister tells me that her writing is always neat and tidy and does not write backwards. My Sister has dyslexia and has been properly diagnosed. We’re just in desperate need of help in finding out what is going on with my niece.

Mar 16, 2012 4:00 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

I can imagine how frustrating that is for you! Honestly, it does sound as if something is going on, but if you have the capability of getting her to work with a good special education teacher, a proper diagnosis may not be necessary. A good special educator can work with what he or she sees in your niece and attempt to give her some coping skills, skills that would allow her to make the connections that she seems to be missing. For more help on the diagnosis side, I would try the family doctor. I would say the most important thing to do first, though, is to make sure everyone who works with her encourages her and makes her feel capable of anything. A child who feels defeated will not do as well at anything as a child who feels like people believe in her!

Mar 22, 2012 5:02 PM

Guest :

my adopted son is 7 years old, with shaken baby syndrome (from 5 mos. of age removed from biological parents). He is struggling in 1st grade (in a SED class). He has an IEP and I have requested over and over an evaluation for dysgraphia. He can barely read, his writing is not legible and most all (b, q, p, d, 9, 6 and 5's) are written backwards. The school will not evaluate for this. They say that it is common for kids his age to write this poorly and not be able to read. He has also been diagnosed with ADHD, Bi-Polar, RAD, PTSD, OCD and anxiety. Who should I ask for this to be evaluated since the school will not help?

Mar 23, 2012 4:18 AM

Jennifer Wagaman :

You can talk to the child's pediatrician for help if the school is not helping.

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