What you should know about dysgraphia:

• Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects written expression.


• It makes the act of writing difficult.


• Individuals with dysgraphia can have difficulty organizing letters, numbers and words on a line or page.


• Visual-spatial difficulties - which result in a person having trouble processing what the eye sees


• Language processing difficulty - which result in a person having trouble processing and making sense of what the ear hears.


• Like all learning disabilities, dyscalculia is a life-long challenge.


• Using alternate learning methods, people with dyscalculia can learn how to achieve success.

Dysgraphia: Warning Signs by Age

Early Writers

• Tight, awkward pencil grip and body position


• Avoiding writing or drawing tasks


• Difficulty forming letters shapes


• Inconsistent spacing between letters/words


• Poor understanding of upper and lowercase letters


• Inability to write or draw in a line or within margins


• Tiring quickly while writing

Young Students

• Illegible handwriting


• Mixture of cursive and print writing


• Saying words out loud while writing


• Concentrate on writing so much that they don't comprehend what they've written


• Difficulty thinking of words to write


• Unfinished or omitted words in sentences

Teenagers & Adults

• Difficulty organizing thoughts on paper


• Trouble keeping track of thoughts already written down


• Difficulty with syntax structure and grammar


• Large gap between written ideas and understanding demonstrated through speech

If a person continues to display difficulty over time in the areas outlined above, testing for dysgraphia should be considered.