What is Dysgraphia?

The word dysgraphia has two parts:

1. dys meaning difficult or inadequate
2. graph meaning writing

Dysgraphia means a severe difficulty in written expression.

Kids with dysgraphia will often have illegible handwriting, or have irregular and inconsistent handwriting with letters shaped differently, upper and lower case mixed, words using a print, script and/or cursive writing mixture. They will also write slowly, and not be able to complete the required written work within the expected time frame.

Dysgraphia, as identified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual – Fifth Edition (DSM-V315.2 F81.81), is a specific learning disorder with an impairment in written expression. A DSM-5 dysgraphia diagnosis does not include handwriting difficulties caused by low motor tone or poor fine motor skills (assessable by an occupational therapist).  

What does Dysgraphia look like?

It’s often seen as a difficulty in:

• spelling (without a reading difficulty)
• grammar and punctuation
• putting thoughts onto paper despite being able to verbally express what they want to write
• cramped pencil grip, leading to a very sore hand when writing
• legibility
• erasing (too frequently)
• clarity of organisation of written expression.

Causes

At this time, there is no known cause behind a child having a specific learning difficulty in written expression. Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder characterised by writing disabilities. The disorder causes the person to have difficulty writing down information, writing stories, misspelling words, handwriting problems, line spacing problems etc. The cause in children is unknown but will generally be life long, although remediation and academic support can assist in successfully managing this disorder.

What can I do if I think a child in my class has writing difficulties?

• Provide additional small group/ 1:1 (if possible) support for written expression development.
• Ask the parent to take their child to meet with an occupational therapist to investigate any physical reasons behind the writing difficulties such as low muscle tone or poor fine motor skills.
• You may wish to suggest that they also meet with a paediatrician to get an overview of their child’s general development to consider whether there are any other issues affecting the child’s learning.
• Ask the parent to have their child practise handwriting skills at home. Purchase a handwriting book – available online
  • e.g. Booktopia Vic Targeting Handwriting: Year 3 Student Book
    • https://www.booktopia.com.au/vic-targeting-handwriting-year-3-jane-pinsker/book/9781741250909.html).
• Ask the parent to have their child practise written expression skills at home – to assist in further developing skills.
  • e.g. Excel Basic Skills Workbook: Comprehension and Written Expression series available online: https://www.booktopia.com.au/search.ep?keywords=written+expression&productType=917504

If, after investigating and supporting as above, with at least 6 months of this intensive intervention, you continue to be concerned about the child’s written expression difficulty, then it may prove beneficial to ask the parent to have the child assessed. A comprehensive educational assessment by a psychologist who specialises in this field can provide insight into such difficulties and offer suggestions and recommendations to support the child’s learning difficulty at school.  

In Summary

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder that impacts upon a person’s ability to complete written expression tasks at an age expected level. Provide individual assistance to improve handwriting and written expression. Check with other professionals such as an occupational therapist in particular to check if there are physical reasons behind writing difficulties. Then, seek a psychologist specialising in child cognitive and academic assessments who will investigate whether the child may have a specific learning disorder and provide recommendations to support the child in their learning.

Useful Websites

https://childdevelopment.com.au/areas-of-concern/diagnoses/dysgraphia/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/dysgraphia

Want to know more?

For answers to the questions below regarding dysgraphia please go to the International Dyslexia Association website by clicking on one of the links:

• What causes dysgraphia?
• Does dysgraphia occur alone or with other specific learning disabilities?
• Why is diagnosis of dysgraphia and related learning disabilities important?
• What kinds of instructional activities improve the handwriting of children with dysgraphia?
• Do children with dysgraphia make reversals or other letter production errors?
• What kind of instructional strategies improve spelling of children with dysgraphia?
• Are there research-supported assessment tools for diagnosing dysgraphia?