Understanding a Writing Disability: Dysgraphia
Children with a writing disability may show symptoms in a number of different areas. Some children write illegibly for a first draft but are able to copy their work more neatly, whereas other students are unable to write neatly at all. Students may or may not have difficulty with spelling, and it may take students a long time and effort to form their letters, often combined with a lot of frustration on the part of the student.
Symptoms of a Writing Disability
Parents and teachers should watch for several typical symptoms that may indicate a problem including illegible handwriting, lack of basic spelling skills and mixing up letters. Common letters that are confused are b, q, p and d. Many times students may write the wrong words down as they attempt to put their thoughts on paper, letters may be spaced poorly and they may use a combination of 
upper and lowercase letters throughout their writing.
Other signs to watch for include an odd grip on the pencil, complaints about pain when writing and often an outright refusal to write. It is especially important to pay attention to any complaints of pain and the level of frustration as these are signs that something is wrong. If the child does not have a disability, there may be another reason for the frustration that needs to be addressed.
Note that although these are common signs of a writing disability, they cannot be used in isolation to diagnose a disability and the child must be referred for testing. If parents suspect a writing disability, they should set up a conference with the teacher to discuss the teacher’s observations of the child’s writing as well as the parents’ concerns.
Continue reading to learn about the diagnosis process for a writing disability.
