Does Your Child Have Dysgraphia?

father son working on homework

Your child struggles to properly hold a pencil. His handwriting is messy and he has trouble with letter spacing and spelling. Writing a paragraph is a completely daunting task. If your child experiences these challenges, he may have dysgraphia.

Dysgraphia is defined as a specific learning disability that affects writing. Children with dysgraphia often struggle with forming letters and words correctly, have ‎trouble spacing words properly on a page, and generally have difficulty expressing their thoughts on paper when writing. Yet with the right strategies and tools, your child can learn to tackle the increasing writing demands of school. Try the ideas detailed below:

Feel the letters!

Many kids with dysgraphia have trouble learning to form letters and numbers properly when writing. To build this skill, try creating a multi-sensory experience. Have your child trace letters in a tray of salt or colored sand while she says the formation of each letter aloud. For instance, as she traces the letter “A,” she might say “around, up, and down,” or “down, up, and around” for p. You might also have her trace letters on your back or palm, or you can do the same to her while she closes her eyes to better experience the sensation of each letter’s formation. For gross motor exercises, try having her sky-write each letter or number while standing up, or squirt some foam on the shower door and have her write letters and numbers, using large hand formations.

Practice storytelling!

Children with dysgraphia often struggle to organize their ideas into well-constructed stories and paragraphs. To help build this skill, teach your child to tell stories aloud in an organized fashion. For instance, when you return from a vacation, ask him for an opening line by saying, “We did so many fun activities on our vacation!” and then ask him ‎to discuss his three favorite activities and why he loved each one. He might say one of his favorite activities was playing on the beach, since he built a giant sand castle, jumped the waves, and swam in the ocean. He may say another favorite activity was eating every meal with his family and enjoying special treats, like Belgian waffles, chocolate  ice cream, and frozen lemonade. Finally, he may say that his third favorite activity was spending time with his cousins, which included swimming with them, sharing stories, and laughing. Then have him end his story with his overall thoughts on the vacation, like “I had so much fun on my vacation and can’t wait for the next one!” You can try this exercise with just about any experience—a day at school, a play date, or a meal he just ate. The more you practice helping him organize his ideas orally, the easier it will become when writing.

[gravityform id=”18″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”]

Learn to type

The physical act of writing involves so many components: Letter and word formation, spacing, spelling, sentence construction, written organization, and so many other challenging tasks, especially for kids with dysgraphia. Typing can ease some of these challenges. It eliminates letter formation and spacing challenges, and computers can help with spelling with the use of spell check. When the physical challenges of writing are reduced, ideas often flow much more easily. ‎ If typing is not an option, though, learning to write in cursive, rather than print, can help your child with letter reversals, spelling, spacing, and the overall flow of writing.

Brainstorm!

Many kids—even those who don’t have dysgraphia—have trouble getting started with their writing. Brainstorming can be very helpful in easing this challenge. Encourage your child to start by creating a brainstorm web with her ideas. If she wants to write about why she loves math, for instance, before she begins writing, she should draw a bubble in the middle of the page and write “why I love math.” Then, branching out from the middle bubble, she can add details on why she loves math, like “It helps with problem solving,” “It’s fun!” and “It plays a role in everyday life.” Then branching out of those detail bubbles, she may even add supporting details on why each of those reasons make her love math so much. Once her brainstorm web is complete, it becomes a much easier process to translate that information into an organized written format.  Computer programs like Inspiration and Kidspiration are great tools for creating electronic versions of these brainstorm webs.

‎As students progress through school, they will inevitably be required to write longer and more complex stories, paragraphs, and essays. Help your child with dysgraphia build his writing skills with these ideas, and he will be well on his way to academic success!

Dr. Emily Levy is the founder of EBL Coaching, a local tutoring program that specializes in one-on-one home and on-site instruction for students in grades pre-K-12. She is also the author of the workbook series Strategies for Study Success and Flags and Stars. To learn more about Emily Levy and EBL Coaching, visit eblcoaching.com!

Relevant Directory Listings

See More

Paché Montessori

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">Located in a newly renovated landmark building amidst the beautiful brownstones of Cobble Hill. Carefully crafted with the developmental needs of children in mind, classrooms offer children calm, peaceful environments to explore the rich Montessori learning materials.</span></p>

Nord Anglia

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; font-style: normal; color: #000000;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">International Private School following the English National Curriculum paired with International Primary Curriculum for students ages 2–14.</span></p>

Ready Set Grow Preschool

<p><a href="https://www.readysetgrownassau.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.readysetgrownassau.org/&source=gmail&ust=1692384562653000&usg=AOvVaw3H4vbx-RdPPdKc5YnYYhnS">Ready Set Grow Preschool </a>(RSG), located in New Hyde Park believes that lifelong learning begins with a well-rounded, comprehensive and compassionate early childhood education. </p> <p>Ready Set Grow, the treasured preschool attached to the Progressive Athletic Center, serves as an educational hub for children 2 to 4 years of age. The educational team at RSG have created an enriching environment that hones in on children’s natural curiosity about the world around them in order to promote socialization, creativity, and critical thinking. Student’s delve into thematic daily play-based lessons in science, mathematics, art, literary enrichment, and physical education that serve as building blocks for the child's academic future. Preschoolers at RSG have the unique opportunity to develop their gross motor skills at the attached, fully equipped gymnastics facility where they engage in climbing, movement-based games and gymnastics. </p> <p>Ready Set Grow preschool offers 4 age-based classes taught by certified teachers. Each thoughtfully curated class is an excellent nursery to grade school transition. The warm and welcoming environment of the school allows children to feel confident in their new-found independence. As a first-time mom, N.S,  was relieved when her son felt immediately comfortable at the preschool relaying to the director that, “From the first day of school, my son's teachers have shown such warmth, compassion and professionalism. We are greeted each day with genuine smiles and excitement. My son looks forward to drop off each day and often mentions teachers and classmates at dinner. It's so cool to know that he’s making such good memories”. The professional and fun-loving staff helps their students cultivate social and academic skill sets that will be utilized throughout their school career. As a mom of two now-grade schooler’s, Cheryl L. thanks RSG for “...making her children's pre-school experience so special and helping to prepare them for Pre-K. Cherryl continues by stating, “ RSG staff creates an educational atmosphere combined with caring, creativity and fun.”</p> <p><a href="https://www.readysetgrownassau.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.readysetgrownassau.org/&source=gmail&ust=1692384562653000&usg=AOvVaw3H4vbx-RdPPdKc5YnYYhnS">Ready Set Grow Preschool</a> is now accepting Fall new-student applications for 2’s, 3’s and 4’s. Visit their website or email RSG’s head director, Louiza at <a href="mailto:[email protected]" target="_blank" rel="noopener">[email protected]</a> for information on classes and registration. </p>