Is your child struggling with handwriting? The cause may be more than just laziness or lack of motivation; it could be a neurologically-based learning issue called dysgraphia. This post explains the signs and symptoms of dysgraphia and the steps you can take to help your child succeed in reading and spelling.
A child with dysgraphia has handwriting that is worse than you would normally see in a child of his age, intelligence, and education level.
But dysgraphia isn’t just about messy papers. A child with dysgraphia may also appear to be unmotivated or lazy, or what we sometimes refer to as a “reluctant writer.” Because he has trouble expressing his thoughts and ideas in writing, he may avoid writing altogether.
Dysgraphia can also make your child avoid seemingly normal situations. For example, does your child avoid Scouts or clubs because he may be asked to fill out forms? Is he hesitant to participate in any activity that involves writing, even something as simple as signing his own name? Has he been teased because of childish penmanship?
If so, you have probably experienced firsthand the frustration, anger, and anxiety that dysgraphia can cause.
As with most learning challenges, the symptoms of dysgraphia can range from mild to severe, and the symptoms may vary in the way they show up in children of different ages.
Simply put, dysgraphia makes the process of writing quite difficult, so a child with dysgraphia often has a much easier time expressing ideas verbally than in writing.
If you recognize some of these symptoms in your child, read on!
Compensation means helping your child “work around” his handwriting issues so he can still continue to learn.
You may be surprised to hear me say that. After all, dysgraphia is a serious issue, and surely we don’t want to just “work around” the problem, right?
Well, at first we do want to work around the penmanship issue.
This doesn’t mean that you aren’t eventually going to tackle the problem—that step will come next—but it does mean that you are going to reduce the stress that your child is likely experiencing, and at the same time make sure your student can continue to learn.
But exactly how you compensate will depend upon your child’s age and the subject areas being studied.
Once the pressure is off and your child is learning in other subject areas without pen and paper, it’s time to work on penmanship skills.
Since so many kids with dysgraphia have incorrect writing posture and pencil grip, it’s important to establish proper handwriting position before attempting to address specific penmanship concerns. The graphic below is a handy guide for evaluating your child’s handwriting position.
Once you have checked and corrected your child’s posture and pencil grip, it’s time to actually put pencil to paper and start writing.
Please keep in mind that it’s important to allow your child to acquire writing skills at his own pace. Don’t get caught up in the comparison trap. Your child has a special need, so let him progress naturally and not at the pace recommended for his age, his grade level, or his curriculum.
Also, as you work to improve your child’s ability to write, continue to reduce the amount of writing that is required to complete his schoolwork. Allow learning to happen without pen and paper.
Try these tips to help make penmanship lessons more productive and enjoyable for you and your child.
For a child with dysgraphia, the very act of writing takes so much energy that it actually interferes with the process of learning, which can then negatively impact his ability to learn.
Because your child’s dysgraphia affects the way he learns to read and spell, it’s important to remove the handwriting barrier from both of these subject areas. All About Reading and All About Spelling are designed to do just that! In fact, both programs can be completed without requiring any handwriting at all.
But what do moms who are in the trenches with their struggling learners say about overcoming dysgraphia?
Helping a child who is struggling with dysgraphia takes patience. Change may not come quickly, but trust that it will come! And to encourage you during this process, I’d like to share a few success stories from our community.
“My daughter has dysgraphia and she is thriving with AAS! We just finished level 4 (starting 4th grade). The tiles are great for spelling when writing is just too much.
I like that the lessons are at our own pace, and that she can master the material in a way that works best for her! Thanks!”
“Although we haven’t pursued an official diagnosis, our eight-year-old son has all the characteristics of dysgraphia. The best thing we ever did was back off from writing for a while. He still struggles, but it’s getting easier. He loves his AAR, and we will be starting AAS soon. Things are finally clicking, and I am so thankful that spelling, reading, and writing no longer involve tears!”
“My son used to feel defeated, but now he has so much more enthusiasm for reading since he doesn’t have to write. He doesn’t dread school when his hands don’t hurt and get tired. He also doesn’t waste erasers from erasing so often!
“He uses his magnetic letter tiles to build his words now, and he’ll often ask to handwrite the words he has built. The tiles help him tell his b, d, p, and q apart, which make writing and spelling easier. Being able to look at the letters while writing has helped his handwriting improve, too!”
Handwriting may seem like a small part of education, but it affects your child’s ability to express ideas. It’s important to address dysgraphia, and to prevent it from stealing your child’s motivation, his joy of learning, and his self-esteem.
Starting today, you can help make learning easier for your child with dysgraphia by implementing three simple ideas.
If you have any questions about your child’s dysgraphia and how it affects reading and spelling instruction, please feel free to call or email us. With All About Reading and All About Spelling, your child can continue to learn without frustration, and we’re here to help!
Does your child struggle with dysgraphia? What has helped? Let us know in the comments below!
Photo credit: @teachingthroughspecialneeds via Instagram
Helen
says:Hi I have a student who I believe may be dysgraphic. The Ed. Psych. Has said she may ne dyslexic and perhaps she is both but if I ask her to write a spelling word she writes almost total rubbish BUT when I ask her to spell out loud and not write she is amazing! How can I help thos lovely young lady?
Robin
says: Customer ServiceHelen,
How wonderful that you want to help this student!
First, it will be important, as described in this blog post, to separate the physical act of writing from other learning. That will mean oral tests, using typing, or other means of assessment than asking her to write.
Then, it is equally important to help her build her ability to write. If possible, occupational therapy is very helpful.
Our All About Spelling program can be very helpful in these sorts of situations because it has a very gradual progression to increase a student’s stamina and fluency in writing. Level 1 starts with just letters and phonograms, then words, and then two- or three-word phrases. Then Level 2 moves to two- to three-word phrases and short sentences, and Level 3 has longer sentences. Also, in Level 3, the Writing Station activity is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words. In this way students master written spelling bit by bit with the All About Spelling program.
Ridwana Hendricks
says:I enjoyed these great tips on Dysgraphia. Everything was explained and made it so easy to understand. Lovely ideas and help for my 9 year old who us struggling.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was helpful, Ridwana! However, if you find you need additional ideas or help for your 9-year-old, let us know. We’re always happy to help!
Bethany Anderson
says:Both my kids, I believe, have dysgraphia. Thanks for the info, this was very informative!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceBethany,
I’m happy that this article was informative for you and your kids! However, if you ever have more questions or need help, please let us know. We’re happy to help!
Angelita Earhart
says:Everything you require to make your life easier and also much more incredible is included in this one extraordinary bundle!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceThank you, Angelita!
Brenda
says:I’m going to try some of these recommendations with my son who was recently diagnosed with dysgraphia.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceBrenda,
I hope you find these recommendations helpful for you son. However, if you need additional ideas or have questions, please let us know. We are happy to help!
Christy
says:This is so interesting. I didn’t know there was an actual diagnosis.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad we could help you learn something new, Christy.
Priyanka
says:My son is 9 years old. He is unable to write the correct spelling. If he knews then also he makes mistake, by using wrong alphabet. His writing is also not good. He does not enjoy studying. I am very tensed. Plz help
Robin
says: Customer ServicePriyanka,
I’m sorry to hear your son is struggling with being able to write and spell.
The first step to help would be to ensure he knows all the phonograms (letters and letter groups) and all the sounds they make. Our How to Teach Phonograms article will help you with that, and it includes free printables to help make learning more fun. He will also need to practice writing the phonograms. So, play some of the fun activities where you say the phonogram sound or sounds and he writes the phonogram on paper.
As he is working on learning the phonograms and their sounds, also work with him on being able to segment words into their individual sounds. Our Segmenting: A Critical Skill for Spelling article will help with that.
Lastly, consider using A “No Gaps” Approach to Spelling to help him achieve spelling and writing success!
I hope this helps some. Let me know if you have specific questions or concerns.
Esty
says:Never heard of this before – so informative
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was informative for you, Esty. Thank you.
Heidi
says:Helpful information!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was helpful, Heidi!
Jennifer
says:It is such a relief for me to see dysgraphia being addressed here. My son is 12 and has dysgraphia. I used to think that having him practice writing all the time was the way to help him. I also thought having him use speech to text and other adaptations would inhibit his ability to write. After having him tested and getting his dysgraphia diagnosis so much of what he has struggled with makes sense, and I now know that using the tools/adaptations we are so fortunate to have will make him a stronger writer. I am looking forward to introducing AAS to him as another tool to help him become a stronger writer.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceJennifer,
I’m glad this article was encouraging to you! All About Spelling’s gradual gradual progression for increasing the student’s stamina and fluency in writing will be very helpful for a student with dysgraphia! It moves from words and short phrases in Level 1, to phrases and short sentences in Level 2, to 12 dictation sentences per step in Level 3. Partway through Level 3, the Writing Station activity is introduced. In this exercise, students write sentences of their own that they make up using some of their spelling words. In this way students have begun to use words in a more real-world context through dictation and writing, to help them transition to longer writing assignments.
Let me know if you have questions or need anything. I’m happy to help!
Stella. GoodSuccess.NwaChukwu
says:Wow! Great help! Now I know what to do and that we’re not alone in this challenge. Wow! Thank you really much!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad this was helpful, Stella!
Racheal Enchill Cudjoe
says:A kindergarten one boy who can describe how a letter is written but cannot write it on his own. Thank you.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceRacheal,
Interesting that the boy can describe how a letter is written but cannot physical right it. It may be worth considering having him evaluated by an occupational therapist.
April Belluck
says:My son is going to be six in Aug & is starting kindergarten we waited a year because of age we didn’t went him to be the youngest in his class & also the problem with his writing, he is gong into a English , Spanish class in a very good public school we also had him tested ! Learning problems do rum in my family myself , mother , father and other family number! My Father & I both have college degrees! My husband does not have any learning problems at all my daughter is a middle of the road student! Who works very hard! Thank You I would like as much information as possible since we saw it so early in him! We had him tested already!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceApril,
It sounds like you are doing wonderfully assessing your son’s needs so early in his learning! Wonderful! I’m happy to help with any questions or concerns you may have.
Neetika
says:Hi my son who is 9 years old find it difficult to write. In class work we can’t even read what he has written. His teacher is recommending OT but I feel he writes ok when motivated to and a few lines instead of big paragraphs in short time. I am planning to start handwriting classes and fine motor skills at home.
Caoimhe
says:My son is 7 and is struggling with school work. Particularly he doesn’t have the patience to write, wants it done quick. He gets some letters and numbers back to front and finds maths challenging. His hand writing isn’t great and has poor pencil grip. He does however seem to have no bother with reading his school books. I have noticed he reads them from memory or the pictures. He calls himself dumb and that breaks my heart and says school works is stressful. I have addressed concerns with the teacher but I am worried may be dyslexic or have dysgraphia or possibly ADHD. Any advice would be helpful. Thank you
Robin
says: Customer ServiceCaoimhe,
I’m so sorry to hear that your son is struggling and feeling so low about his abilities!
Can you start the process for getting your son evaluated for a learning disability? Does your school have the ability? In the US, a parent can request evaluation at any time, although it can require a request be in writing. However, from your use of the word “maths,” I suspect you are not in the US (here we say “math”). You would need to research how this is done for schools where you are. You may be able to request evaluation from your child’s doctor.
The tips in this blog post will help, and here is a Dyslexia Resources page that will be helpful as well.
Do you have specific questions I can help with?
Robin
says: Customer ServiceNeetika,
If your son’s teacher is recommending occupational therapy for him, it may be best to consider it. One of my children needed OT for a while, and it was a great help, not only during the therapy sessions but more so because the therapist recommended things I could do between therapies to help her have the best progress.
Occupational therapy could help move your son from finding writing to be difficult to being able to write quickly and easily, without much effort. As he gets older, writing easily will be essential for school and even work. It is best to address such difficulties as soon as possible.
Christine
says:My son, now 12 years old, is in speech therapy and we are on a waiting list to start OT. He’s autistic, adhd, speech is helping with his working memory and it’s helping, but when it comes to penmanship or any writings assignments it takes hours. We currently homeschool with Abeka and penmanship takes weeks for him to complete for each semester with many tears, and starting over, mistakes, can’t form letters right, or stay on a line right. They don’t offer any accommodations unfortunately for children with disabilities in their accredited program. (No one is perfect, that’s why God made erasers and white out!) My son is determined to complete what he started! I love his determination. This is his last 2 semesters of penmanship with them, so I pray they please understand how hard he is working, and that he is doing all of this with a disability!
Before homeschooling his public school wasn’t very helpful and he didn’t have the support there. He was bullied, picked on, staff over looked! I’ve got good therapist now, I’m home full time with him at his side helping. We just need to continue to get the right tools to succeed, never give up!
Any suggestions are welcomed.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceChristine,
I am pleased to hear that you have your son working with a good therapist now. That should make the biggest difference.
I suggest, and you should speak with your therapist about it too, to separate the physical act of writing from all other learning for him. As suggested in this blog post, allow him to dictate answers to you, use speech-to-text applications, and so on. A lot of learning can be done very successfully orally.
Then work with him on handwriting where he is at. It sounds like he needs to spend some time each day learning the correct formation of letters. Instead of focusing on getting X amount of work done, rather set a timer and have him focus on doing his best for 10 minutes, or whatever length of time allows him to end before he grows tired or frustrated.
Once he is comfortable writing individual letters, consider working with him with All About Spelling. Your focus moving through it will be on the physical act of writing words, not spelling mastery. Students like him can usually spell much more complex words easily orally or with typing but struggle to write even simple words correctly. So starting with All About Spelling Level 1, he will work on writing individual letters, then simple words, then two and three-word phrases. Level 2 moves into writing short sentences, and each level starts adding more complex sentences.
I hope this helps some, but it does sound like you are on the right track already!
Lura
says:I am so happy that dysgraphia is addressed here. I had severe dyagraphia as a left handed child. I could do many other things, like knit, type and sew. But writing was a huge struggle. Also, I had learned to read so quickly I skipped knowing phonics. Which also made spelling extremely hard until I learned the 72 phonograms. I wish I had AAS as a child.
I’m so happy to use AAS with my daughter. At age 5 she was a gifted reader and new her phonograms. But writing with a pencil at age 5 was a struggle. We were able to set aside penmanship for awhile as we learned to spell using the tiles app. She completed AAS with great enthusiasm and is now enjoying writing her letters separately to work on penmanship. She feels confident about her spelling because as recommended here, we separated penmanship from spelling.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceSuch a great point, Lura! Separating learning to spell well from the act of physically writing is so important for so many learners! Thank you for sharing. Your daughter is amazing considering her age!
Kwena Semono
says:My child is 9 years boy.. He can’t copy what is written on board and speech is a problem can’t speak properly. Spelling test problem.. And maths.. You can’t even read what he is writing
Robin
says: Customer ServiceKwena,
I’m sorry to hear that your child is struggling with learning.
My first concern is that your child cannot copy what is written on the board. This is often a sign that a student has a vision problem and may need glasses. Not being able to see well could cause problems with writing and even math too. You may wish to have his eyes examined.
Difficulties with speech can lead to difficulties with spelling. When students are unable to pronounce words correctly, they often have trouble hearing the correct sounds that make up the word. He may need speech therapy first to address his difficulties.
I hope this helps some, but please let me know if you have specific questions or concerns.
Jane
says:My Lillie one is 4 1/2 years now. Really slow in writing (he can write 1,2,4 but cannot write 3,5. Always writes half of the number or up side down or in wrong side (left instead of write).
When it comes to drawing, cannot draw looking at an object/picture. Always mixing up V instead of ^.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceJane,
What you have described is expected for a 4 and a half year old child. Many children that age cannot write any numbers or letters, and it is very uncommon for such a young child to be able to draw what they are looking at at.
Also, it is normal for children this age to write numbers and letters backward or even upside down. Before learning letters and numbers, directionality doesn’t matter. A child learns in his first year or two of life that a chair is a chair if it is facing left, right, or side ways. But when a child starts learning letters and numbers, they experience that the direction an object faces changes the object fundamentally. A 5 is five, but turn it the other way and it is not five. This goes against everything a child has learned before, and so it is no wonder that it can take many children quite a while to master forming letters and numbers in the correct direction.
Overall, it sounds like your little one is doing very well and is learning as we would expect for his age. He may be even a little advanced compared to other preschoolers. Keep up the great work! Provide gentle correction, and keep learning lighthearted and fun. He’ll master these things in time!
Jane
says:Thank you so much for taking your time to replay me!
I’m in kenya. Here they teach kindergartners to read and write. May I know this:
1. Is there any common milestones in reading/writing/knowing sounds for 4 1/2 kid?
2. To what extent? Write- how many letters/words?, sounds- how many sounds and what are they?, count up to which stage?
Thank you so much!
Robin
says: Customer ServiceJane,
Here in the US, most Kindergarten classes teach beginning reading and writing as well. So, in preparation for that, most children are taught the names of the letters and to recognize them both as capitals and lowercase. Children this age are often taught the first sound of each letter too. They are also taught to count orally up to 20 or more.
As for writing, four and a half year old child would be expected to be able to write their first name. Most would be able to write it all in capital letters, but some may be able to write it with a capital first letter and then lowercase for the rest. Anything beyond that would be considered more advanced than average.
I think you will find this blog post How to Teach the Alphabet to Preschoolers helpful. And for learning letter sounds, our free Letter Sounds from A to Z app focuses on just the first sound of each letter. Our company focuses on teaching reading and spelling, so we don’t have any reasons for teaching numbers and counting. However, you will likely find a lot available online for teaching counting and numbers to preschoolers.
Irine
says:Thanks slot I have a son in grade one who can’t write and when he writes he is very slow.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Irine. I hope the tips in this blog post are helpful for your son. However, if you have additional questions or concerns, I’m happy to help.
Swely Kamadu
says:Am a housewife but am education I did my A level n did my computer course…my son is 5 n he has childhood asthma….I understand he’s late in everything….I paid for private preprimary wen he was 3…at 4i send him to government preprimary…n both the teacher complained any him not talking…I asked Abt his writing skills n school activities…all were gud zey said n all his school works stayed in school…it’s on 9th January 1st day school for grade one zat I saw his preprimary school work…he could only trace letters …draw n paint. Now am teaching him how to write alphabet… he gets tired….he doesn’t leave space doesn’t know what’s capital n small letters… number r his enemy koz he gets difficult to write zem..1to 5unable to write…can anyone advise me…as a mother I will everyday continue to teach him alphabets n numbers 🔢 I want him to know how to write n count.
Robin
says: Customer ServiceSwely,
Your child is still very young. It is common for 5 year old children to still have trouble with writing letters and such. It will be best to approach teaching him as a brand new learner. Work on capital letters first, introducing one at a time so he can master each letter before learning the next. Also, review all the letters he has learned regularly so he doesn’t forget what he has already learned while working on learning new letters.
Once he has learned all the capital letters, then do the same for the lowercase letters, teaching one at a time while still reviewing everything he had already learned. Also, as you teach lowercase letters, but sure he can match them with their capital letter.
We have a lot of resources on our blog for teaching letters to children. Check out Top 10 Activities for Letter Knowledge.
Selam
says:My child is five years old she don’t have eating and writing in the class orally she is good
Geetanjli
says:My son has problem in writing
he is good in oral. But he cannot make sentence in writing and also mispelt the words.. Like when he writes the learn.. He always writes laner.. But orally he speaks correct spelling
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your son is having such trouble, Geetanli. I hope the tips in this blog article is helpful for him.
Rachel
says:I know my daughter struggles with her dysgraphia and I want to try the AAS cause I think it would help her but I can’t afford that 😩
Bonnie
says:Love your tios
Robin
says: Customer ServiceI’m glad these tips are helpful for you, Bonnie.
Uniel
says:How can I help 4 year old child who’s weak in number writing
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceUniel,
4 years old is still very young. Many children that age are not even ready to begin to learn how to write letters and numbers.
If your child is weak in that he or she does not yet know how to write numbers, start by teaching just one number at a time and working with it. Help the child to understand what 1 means and to master writing it before starting to work on 2, and so on.
If your child is weak in that he or she knows what the numbers should look like but cannot form them, then work on developing your child’s muscles to help. Playing with dough, painting, coloring, using scissors, and so on will increase hand strength. However, a person’s core muscles, those of the belly and back, are just as important. If a child’s core muscles aren’t strong, they won’t be able to hold themselves upright without the support of their arms, which won’t allow them to write well. To build core strength, children need to play with the entire bodies, such as running, jumping, and especially climbing.
I hope this help, but let me know if you have additional questions.
Chris James
says:Great read!!! Thanks for sharing such a great blog, blog like these will surely help each and every homeschooler in homeschooling their children.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re so welcome, Chris! I’m glad you find the blog helpful.
Elie atallah
says:Please my daughter has problem with writing only she is slow in writing and if she write you can’t read it but in the other way she is brilliant she can read and answer the questions all correct in class
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your daughter is struggling, Elie. I hope the tips and techniques suggested in this blog article will be helpful for your daughter. If you have specific questions, I would be happy to help.
Nathan
says:My son’s 10 his teacher is talking about holding him back a year . Maths is good reading is excellent but completely refuses to put pen to paper feels like the more I push the more he refuses ..
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your son is having such difficulties, Nathan. You can request your son’s school to evaluate him and develop an individualized education plan.
The tips and suggestions in this blog post can help, but building a student’s ability to write is a slow process if they do have dysgraphia.
Please let me know if you have specific questions I can help with.
Yuvan
says:He is not writing in school in single word in his english book.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your student is having trouble with writing, Yuvan. I hope this blog post is helpful for you. Please let me know if you have specific questions.
Shital dholia
says:My 8 yearold daughter has sharp memory n she is a smart girl in everyway but she can’t read or writes properly..
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry to hear your daughter is having difficulties with reading and writing, Shital. There are many reasons why a bright child may struggle to learn to read, but one of these is the possibility of gaps in the foundational skills and knowledge necessary for reading and spelling success. Take a look at The “No Gaps” Approach to Reading and Spelling.
You may also find our Signs of a Reading Problem and 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner articles helpful as well.
If you have specific questions, I would be happy to help.
Amanda Hlophe
says:My 10year old son is struggling with writing, spelling and reading, he does very good in Maths but now that he is in grade4 there’s a lot of problem solving involved and he’s maths marks is dropping because he struggles with reading. I do not know how I can assist him.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI’m sorry your son is struggling, Amanda. Often older students struggle with reading and spelling because they have gaps in their skills and knowledge. It is important to fill those gaps so that students can be successful. The “No Gaps” Approach to Reading and Spelling can help with that.
You may find our Signs of a Reading Problem and 10 Tips for Reaching Your Struggling Learner articles helpful as well.