Dysgraphia

It is a neurologically based difficulty and is often related to other specific learning difficulties. Dysgraphia is frustrating for children who have good oral language skills but are unable to transfer their ideas easily into written form.

Key characteristics

Children with dysgraphia may:

• write slowly and laboriously, and have poor presentation
• have inconsistent letter formation and use a mixture of upper and lower case letters
• have difficulty with their pencil grip
• have difficulty with copying and taking notes
• use a rubber excessively
• have difficulty with directions eg. in map work, plans, diagrams.

Support strategies

You may need to:

• teach the child keyboard skills as soon as possible and use a word-processor
• allow them to write seated in the position that suits them best
• allow them to write in the style and form that suits them best
• allow extra time for writing activities
• use planning and writing frames
• encourage the use of visual organisation strategies, such as mind-mapping
• develop alternative methods of recording eg. diagrams, posters, charts, comic strips
• allow the use of a scribe where appropriate
• give the child more opportunities to talk about their ideas rather than writing them.

Support agencies

Dyslexia Action

British Dyslexia Association