Dysgraphia is a condition that affects the ability to recognise and decipher written words, and the relationship between letter forms and the sounds they make.
As a result, writing, spelling and forming words is challenging for anyone with Dysgraphia.
Kids with dysgraphia have unclear, irregular, or inconsistent handwriting, often with;
- different slants, shapes
- upper- and lower-case letters
- cursive and print styles
- a tendency to write or copy things slowly
Parents or teachers may notice symptoms when the child first begins writing assignments in school. Other signs of dysgraphia to watch for include:
- Cramped grip, which may lead to a sore hand
- Difficulty spacing things out on paper or within margins (poor spatial planning)
- Frequent erasing
- Inconsistency in letter and word spacing
- Poor spelling, including unfinished words or missing words or letters
- Unusual wrist, body, or paper position while writing
This learning disability also makes it hard to write and think at the same time. Creative writing tasks are often especially hard.
How can I help my child?
Here are some things you can try:
- Have your child use wide-ruled paper, graph paper, or paper with raised lines to help with letter and word alignment.
- Try pencil grips or other writing aids for comfort.
- Let them use a computer to type instead of write, and teach typing skills early.
- Don’t criticize sloppy work. Praise their hard work and offer positive reinforcement.
- Acknowledge the condition and talk to your child about it.
- Teach them ways to relieve stress before writing. For example, have them shake or rub their hands together quickly.
- Let them squeeze a stress ball to improve hand-muscle strength and coordination.
- copying letters from models
Once children learn to form legible letters, they benefit from instruction that helps them develop automatic letter writing, using the following steps to practice each of the 26 letters of the alphabet in a different order daily:
- studying numbered arrow cues that provide a consistent plan for letter formation
- covering the letter with a 3 x 5 card and imaging the letter in the mind’s eye
- writing the letter from memory after interval that increases in duration over the handwriting lessons
- writing letters from dictation (spoken name to letter form).
For more about Dysgraphia and the research and case studies click here