How Do I Know If My Child Has Dysgraphia?

1. Cramped grip, which may lead to a sore hand.
2. Difficulty spacing things out on paper or within margins (poor spatial planning)
3. Frequent erasing.
4. Inconsistency in letter and word spacing.
5. Poor spelling, including unfinished words or missing words or letters.
6. Unusual wrist, body, or paper position while writing.

What do I do if my child has dysgraphia?

There are many ways to help with dysgraphia at home, at school, and at work. Two common treatments are

occupational therapy (OT) and physical therapy (PT)

. Occupational therapists help improve fine motor skills and motor planning. Physical therapists work on gross motor skills.

What age is dysgraphia usually diagnosed?

Therefore, DCD is commonly diagnosed

after age 5 years

, when the motor problems are becoming increasingly apparent (highlighted by the structured demands of the child' environment) and can no longer be attributed to a developmental delay.

Can you outgrow dysgraphia?

Fact: Dysgraphia is a lifelong condition—

there's no cure to make it go away

. That doesn't mean, though, that people with dysgraphia can't succeed at writing and other language-based activities. There are a lot of ways to get help for dysgraphia, including apps and accommodations.

How do you test a child for dysgraphia?

1. An IQ test.
2. Academic assessment that includes reading, arithmetic, writing, and language tests.
3. Measures of fine motor skills related to writing.
4. Writing samples evaluated for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as the quality of ideas presented.

Is there a test for dysgraphia?

Tests for dysgraphia look

at physical writing skills

, knowledge of grammar and the ability to express thoughts. Testing for dysgraphia can help pinpoint why your child is struggling with writing. The results can determine what kind of writing accommodations might help your child.

What does dysgraphia look like in the classroom?

In later grades, they may have difficulty with writing fluency, floating margins, and legible writing. In the classroom, students with dysgraphia are often labeled “sloppy,” “lazy,” or “not detail-oriented.” But students with dysgraphia are often trying

very hard

, if not harder than others, just to keep up.

Is dysgraphia a symptom of ADHD?

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that sometimes

accompanies ADHD

and affects writing skills, handwriting and spelling.

What are signs of dysgraphia?

• 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.

Does dysgraphia affect math?

Impact of dysgraphia doesn't limit to words and writing—it also

affects a students' ability to learn, apply, and communicate mathematics skills

. For instance, students with dysgraphia may have difficulty in learning place value, fractions, aligning numbers, organizing complex mathematics expressions and equations.

Is dysgraphia inherited?

Like other learning disabilities,

dysgraphia is highly genetic and often runs in families

. If you or another member of your family has dysgraphia, your child is more likely to have it, too.

Does dysgraphia affect IQ?

Myth #2: Kids with dysgraphia have below-average intelligence. Fact: It's a myth that people with learning and attention issues have poor intelligence, and children with dysgraphia are no exception. In fact,

kids with dysgraphia usually have average or above-average intelligence

.

What is the treatment for dysgraphia?

Occupational therapy

is most often used in treating dysgraphia in children, but some OTs work with adults as well. Occupational therapy might include manipulating different materials to build hand and wrist strength, running letter formation drills, and practicing cursive writing, which can be easier than printing.

Is dysgraphia still a diagnosis?

It was the term for trouble with written expression. Dysgraphia appeared in the DSM, the manual used to make diagnoses. While

dysgraphia is no longer an official diagnosis

, some people may still use the term. (Dysgraphia also isn't considered a learning disability under IDEA.

How common is dysgraphia?

It is a learning disability that affects children and adults, and interferes with practically all aspects of the writing process, including spelling, legibility, word spacing and sizing, and expression. It's estimated that

5 to 20 percent of all children have some type of writing deficit

like dysgraphia.

Is dysgraphia a learning disability?

Affects a person's handwriting ability and fine motor skills. Dysgraphia is a

learning disability

which involves impaired ability to produce legible and automatic letter writing and often numeral writing, the latter of which may interfere with math.