Is Dysgraphia a Learning Disability? The Handwriting Disorder Explained

Do you have difficulty writing legibly or remembering how to spell common words, no matter how much you practice? You aren’t alone: Frequently struggling to form letters by hand – or express your ideas in writing – may mean you’re one of the 4% of adults who have dysgraphia. This little-known learning disability can affect multiple aspects of written coherence, even in individuals with above-average intelligence. Fortunately, supportive technology and treatments can help people with this condition overcome writing-related challenges and reach their full potential in the workplace.

Discover the Causes and Signs of Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is considered a learning disability that primarily causes distorted writing, though it can also cause problems with other fine motor skills. As a neurological condition, dysgraphia is usually present from birth and typically lasts into adulthood. While the condition is mostly genetic, in adults, dysgraphia – and, in extreme cases, agraphia - may develop after a brain injury, especially if the cerebellum is affected. This type of dysgraphia is called motor dysgraphia. Though anyone can develop dysgraphia, researchers believe this condition affects slightly more men than women.

People with dysgraphia are typically adept readers and speakers, but they have difficulty with one or more transcription skills. Because many people with dysgraphia demonstrate normal reading comprehension and verbal fluency, dysgraphia remains one of the most under-diagnosed learning disabilities in children. Teachers often attribute poor handwriting to sloppiness when, in reality, completing written assignments is laborious and frustrating for dysgraphic students. Many dysgraphic adults must therefore learn to recognize their symptoms and seek treatment independently.

Speaking of signs and symptoms of dysgraphia, depending on the type of dysgraphia you have, you may experience any of the following challenges:

• Difficulty writing by hand; e.g., being unable to form letters properly, stay within lines or margins, or maintain proper spacing or capitalization. (Note that some individuals with dysgraphia can write correctly, but their writing process is unusually slow and labored.)

• Poor spelling and/or grammar (often accompanied by difficulty with visualizing words).

• Problems with omitting words from sentences, reversing word order, and finding the right words to convey your ideas. You may repeat the same concepts when writing or find it difficult to summarize your points succinctly.

• Difficulty with fine motor tasks, such as tying shoelaces, cutting food, drawing or painting, or handling small objects.

• A desire to avoid writing whenever possible (many people with dysgraphia choose to type out even brief lists, for instance).

• An awkward grip when holding a pen or pencil (e.g. extra tight squeeze, wrapping the whole fist around, wrong wrist position, etc.).

• Having a large gap between your writing ability and your ability to express concepts through speech.

The Role of Motor Skills in Dysgraphia

Since dysgraphia affects fine motor skills, people with this condition often have trouble with hand-eye coordination and manipulating writing instruments. Weak finger and hand muscles make it challenging to grip a pen or pencil correctly and form letters. Dysgraphia can also impair gross motor skills like running, jumping, or throwing a ball, which rely on balanced limb movement. Difficulty planning and sequencing complex motor actions is another hallmark of dysgraphia.

People with dysgraphia may have issues with bilateral coordination, using both sides of the body together in a coordinated way. For example, stabilizing paper with the non-dominant hand while writing with the dominant hand. Balance and body awareness deficits may also be present. Many people with dysgraphia have sensory processing challenges, being oversensitive or undersensitive to touch, movement, and other stimuli. All of these motor skill impairments can negatively impact the writing process.

Processing Disorder and its Impact on Dysgraphia

Many experts believe dysgraphia stems from a processing disorder that disrupts the brain’s ability to translate thoughts and ideas into written words. People with dysgraphia struggle to organize letters, numbers, and words in the correct sequence. They also have trouble recalling and applying spelling and grammar rules. This processing deficit makes it hard to put thoughts on paper coherently.

These processing challenges extend beyond writing itself. Individuals with dysgraphia often have difficulty planning and organizing their thoughts before starting to write. They may understand concepts but lack the processing skills to decide what to write first, present ideas logically, and structure an outline. Keeping track of details and seeing the big picture are also problematic. These executive functioning issues contribute to written expression challenges.

How Dysgraphia Manifests: Spelling, Handwriting, and Thought Expression

Dysgraphia affects transcription skills in different ways. A writer with dysgraphia may struggle to express their thoughts in writing, and make frequent spelling errors. Some also have difficulty remembering letter shapes and sequences for writing. These challenges can lead to avoidance of activities requiring handwriting or composition. With support, people with dysgraphia can overcome these obstacles and showcase their true abilities.

Aside from handwriting itself, dysgraphia can impact many facets of writing. These include issues with spacing between letters and words, maintaining proper size and alignment of letters, recalling rules for punctuation and capitalization, staying within margins, and copying material accurately. While spelling and grammar disorders are most well-known, even the mechanical act of writing is laborious for those with dysgraphia. Patience and assistive technology are key to managing these multifaceted difficulties.

Dysgraphia vs. Dyslexia and Dyscalculia: Different Learning Struggles

We are often asked whether dysgraphia is a form of dyslexia. Generally, the answer is “no”. Yet, the symptoms of dysgraphia, dyslexia, and dyscalculia sometimes overlap, making it hard to differentiate between these conditions. Dysgraphic and dyslexic individuals often have similar issues with spelling, for example, and both dysgraphic and dyscalculic people typically struggle to read charts and maps. Complicating matters further, a person can have both dysgraphia and dyslexia – it’s a special type of dysgraphia called dyslexic dysgraphia. There are, however, several key traits that make these learning disabilities distinct from one another.

Dyslexia primarily affects a person’s ability to read and speak. Some dyslexic individuals also have poor handwriting, but handwriting issues alone don’t signify dyslexia. For a diagnosis of dyslexia to be made, an individual must have pronounced difficulty sounding out words, reading (silently and aloud), memorizing “sight words,” and organizing his or her thoughts when speaking. Dyslexic children and adults experience these challenges because their brains don’t process graphic symbols or certain sounds properly. Dysgraphia, by contrast, arises from fine motor skill deficits and problems with orthographic coding (the ability to memorize written words).

Unlike dyslexia and dysgraphia, dyscalculia typically affects math skills more than language skills. In addition to struggling with concepts like counting, arithmetic, and multiplication, people with dyscalculia tend to have trouble judging distances and quantities at a glance. They may also have problems estimating time, associating numbers with amounts (e.g., being unable to link the number 2 with two apples), and recognizing directions, like right and left. Researchers aren’t sure what causes dyscalculia, though brain imaging tests suggest that individuals with this condition have problems with both numeric processing and numeric recall.

Dysgraphia vs. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Some characteristics of dysgraphia and ASD overlap, like sensory issues and poor motor skills. However, the core symptoms are distinct. ASD is a developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. Dysgraphia is a learning disability specific to writing. An individual can have both conditions, but they are not the same.

Those with ASD may have repetitive motor mannerisms, avoidance of eye contact, and persistent fixation on specific objects. These autism-associated behaviors are not linked to dysgraphia. While those with ASD struggle with social-emotional awareness and nonverbal communication, dysgraphia mainly impairs the mechanical transcription process of writing. However, sensory sensitivities in ASD could potentially exacerbate handwriting difficulties for those with both conditions.

Diagnosis of Dysgraphia for Children

Unlike most other learning disabilities, dysgraphia is usually diagnosed at a pre-school or early school age. However, with technology replacing the need for handwriting, many people now are diagnosed as late as high school and there are even some adults with dysgraphia who are unaware that they have this condition. The diagnosis is usually established based on the results of a psychoeducational assessment (assessment for learning disability) performed by a clinical or school psychologist. During the assessment process, you may have to complete several tests, such as WISC-5 (IQ test), a TOWL-4 (test of written language), and a test of your fine motor skills. If your test results indicate dysgraphia, your psychologist will help you develop a treatment plan. You will also be able to receive support and special accommodations at school and university.

Dysgraphia may be difficult to diagnose when it cooccurs with other neurological disorders. Comorbid conditions with dysgraphia include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), selective language impairment (SLI), or autism spectrum disorder.

The Importance of Early Diagnosis

Recognizing learning differences like dysgraphia early in childhood is crucial for supporting the child’s needs. Early intervention can improve handwriting, teach compensatory strategies, and boost self-esteem. Children diagnosed with dysgraphia qualify for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) to receive accommodations and modifications in school. Regrettably, many children with dysgraphia are overlooked and struggle needlessly for years before their condition is recognized.

Common Misdiagnoses and Overlaps with Other Conditions

Dysgraphia often co-occurs with conditions like ADHD, autism, and language disorders. Overlapping symptoms can make dysgraphia difficult to identify on its own. Some children are misdiagnosed with ADHD when attention and focus challenges stem from frustration with writing. Increased awareness of dysgraphia as a distinct disorder helps parents and educators secure an accurate diagnosis.

Strategies for Treatment of Dysgraphia: Improving Writing Assignments

Dysgraphia cannot be cured but can be treated. There are many effective ways to manage the symptoms of this condition and reduce its impact on your life. The coping strategies below are ways to help many individuals with dysgraphia:

• Occupational therapy to improve fine motor skills, muscle memory, and visual-spatial skills.
• Physical exercises or special hobbies (e.g. pottery) to increase the strength of hand muscles
• Speech or language therapy to address problems with grammar, word usage, and sentence composition.
• Using graphic organizers to structure ideas.
• Breaking written work down into small, manageable steps.
• Creating an “editing checklist” to refer to when proofreading (i.e., check spelling, grammar, syntax, and coherence in separate stages).
• Utilizing supportive technology. Many people with dysgraphia can improve their writing ability by working on their keyboarding skills and using spell checkers, speech-to-text tools, etc.

Improving Motor Skills and Handwriting Techniques

Occupational therapy focuses on exercises to strengthen hand muscles, improve dexterity, and develop muscle memory for letter formation. Certain writing tools and paper textures can also make writing easier for people with dysgraphia. Learning optimal wrist, grip, and body positioning reduces fatigue.

Accommodations and Support in Educational Settings

Students with dysgraphia can benefit from extended time on assignments, use of computers, modified expectations for handwritten work, copies of class notes, and oral testing. Teachers should focus on content over handwriting quality.

Use of Assistive Technology and Tools

From speech recognition software to word prediction programs, technology offers essential support for people with dysgraphia. Audio books, text-to-speech apps, and other tools boost reading comprehension. Keyboarding skills are emphasized over handwriting.

Career Choices for Adults with Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia doesn’t have to limit your options for a successful, fulfilling career. With the assistance of therapy and technology, people with this condition can perform optimally in a wide variety of roles. Fortunately, the advance of technology and diminished reliance on hand-writing made it possible for people with dysgraphia to pursue any career path they choose. However, it should be kept in mind that some individuals in this group have difficulty putting their thoughts on paper even in a typed format. If this is the case, it would be advisable to stay away from jobs that involve a great deal of written communication (e.g., teaching, law, counselling). With that being said, there are a number of professions that tend to be especially suitable for dysgraphic individuals:

• Art and design. Many jobs in the arts don’t require advanced fine motor skills, which makes them a great option for creatives with dysgraphia. Photography, graphic design, interior design, and fashion design are all excellent paths for people with strong visual imaginations. Those who favor the performing arts might consider a career in music, dance, film making, TV, or theatre.

• Sales and marketing. People with dysgraphia can leverage their verbal fluency to connect with people and explain the value of products and services. As such, they often make adept salespeople, retail managers, or event coordinators.

• Working outdoors. Fit, active individuals may find their ideal career working outdoors in areas such as forestry, park ranger or conservation roles, or the military.

• Information technology. Software development, hardware testing, and game design professions are all viable options for dysgraphic people who enjoy working with computers.

• Engineering. Civic, electronic, mechanical. chemical, environmental are all excellent occupation choices for people with strong non-verbal logic who enjoy math and science.

No matter which career path you choose, it’s crucial to remember that having a well-managed learning disability is a source of strength, not a weakness. Living with the challenges posed by dysgraphia inspires the development of keen problem-solving skills, creativity, resourcefulness, and resilience. These qualities are highly valuable in virtually any workplace, so don’t hesitate to follow your passion when choosing a field.

Additional Insights

Dysgraphia in Different Genders: Prevalence and Differences

Some studies indicate dysgraphia may be slightly more prevalent in males. However, dysgraphia can affect anyone. Symptom patterns may vary by gender - for example, females may have greater spelling impairments, while males tend to have more illegible writing. But both genders face significant challenges with written expression. More research on gender differences could inform diagnosis and treatment.

The Journey of Dysgraphia: From Childhood to Adulthood

Dysgraphia manifests in early childhood as difficulty learning letter formation, shapes, and sequences. As academic demands intensify, dysgraphic students struggle to complete written work quickly and legibly. Without intervention, frustration and low self-esteem often develop. Adulthood brings greater reliance on keyboards for writing, but residual challenges like spelling errors persist. Understanding their strengths as well as areas for growth allows individuals with dysgraphia to maximize their potential across their lifespan.

The Role of Specialists and Close Ones in Supporting Individuals with Dysgraphia

Receiving support from an early age is key for people with dysgraphia. Psychologists conduct vital assessment and diagnostics for dysgraphia. Occupational therapists build motor skills. Teachers provide accommodations and assistive technology. Parents, friends, and partners help create a positive environment. By coming together, this support network makes it possible for individuals with dysgraphia to thrive academically, socially, and professionally.

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This is an update to the original post "What is Dysgraphia? The Handwriting Disorder Explained" published on Dec 15, 2020.