The 4th International Dysgraphia Awareness Day (IDAD) Catch up with videos from the day.
💙💛 Thank You for Joining Us! 💙💛
What an incredible day it’s been, celebrating the 4th International Dysgraphia Awareness Day! 🌍✨
A heartfelt thank you to everyone who tuned in from around the world. Your messages, enthusiasm, and shared stories made the day truly special. 💫
A huge shoutout to our amazing presenters for your insights and inspiration, and to our wonderful admin team, Suzanne Baxter, Valerie Crowder, and my husband, for all your hard work behind the scenes. 💻💐
We had a few small technical hiccups (as live events sometimes do!), but thanks to our brilliant team, everything was sorted quickly and smoothly. 🙌
Together, we’re continuing to build awareness, understanding, and hope for everyone with dysgraphia. Let’s keep the momentum going, one voice, one story, one step at a time. 💙💛
Catch up with videos from the day.
#IDAD2025 #DysgraphiaAwareness #Dysgraphia #LearningDifferences #InclusionMatters #Neurodiversity
The IDAD is an annual event that celebrates and promotes the importance of handwriting while raising awareness about dysgraphia, a specific learning difficulty that affects writing skills. The event invites parents, educators, therapists, and specialists to come together for a week of fun, learning, and collaboration.
With the playful theme “Let’s Play & Write!”, IDAD embraces the power of joyful, movement-based learning to support handwriting development. Through every wiggle, giggle, and game, the aim is to help build stronger, more confident writers in a supportive and inclusive environment.
Dysgraphia often goes unnoticed or is misunderstood, leading to frustration and low self-esteem in children. IDAD helps to break the stigma and offers positive, practical support for learners of all ages. Events during the week include expert talks, workshops, activities, and resources focused on recognising dysgraphia, supporting handwriting development, and celebrating neurodiversity.
IDAD is coordinated by Dyslexia A2Z and is open to professionals, families, and anyone passionate about helping children thrive through accessible, engaging handwriting support.
Social Media Tips to Celebrate International Dysgraphia Awareness Day:
IDAD aims to raise awareness of dysgraphia and celebrate it alongside like-minded individuals who are passionate about promoting the importance of good handwriting. We will work with parents, teachers, Educational Psychologists, Math Professors, Occupational Therapists (OTs), Assistive Technology (AT) specialists and other professionals.
Maria Chivers and Dr David Edward Cowell’s journey in researching and advocating for dysgraphia awareness is inspiring and commendable. Their dedication to shedding light on dysgraphia and its challenges, as well as their efforts to provide a working definition for the condition, have played a vital role in helping parents, teachers, and individuals better understand and address dysgraphia.
The development of a definition for dysgraphia in 2008 and its subsequent update in 2019 demonstrates their commitment to creating a reference point for those dealing with dysgraphia-related issues. This definition has undoubtedly been a valuable resource for many individuals seeking clarity and guidance.
The initiative to establish Dysgraphia Awareness Day in 2022 is a testament to Maria Chivers’ determination to drive positive change and raise awareness on a global scale. The event’s success in fostering international contacts underscores the significance of the cause and the necessity for greater recognition of dysgraphia as a substantial issue, extending beyond mere handwriting difficulties.
The upcoming International Dysgraphia Awareness Day, with the support of experts worldwide, promises to be a crucial platform for promoting awareness and understanding of dysgraphia. It is essential to recognise that dysgraphia is not merely about poor handwriting or weak motor skills; it is a complex neurological condition affecting information processing and recall.
Maria Chivers’ analogy of dysgraphia as crossed wires transmitting information from the brain to the hands provides a vivid and relatable illustration of the condition’s challenges. Such explanations can help individuals, especially parents and teachers, better grasp the nature of dysgraphia and offer more effective support.
The hope that the British Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association will collaborate to produce a working definition for dysgraphia within the next five years underscores the need for continued progress in understanding and addressing this condition.
Finally, the International Online Conference, organised by Maria Chivers and her team, featuring occupational therapists specialising in various aspects of learning difficulties, promises to be a valuable resource for parents, teachers, psychologists, and anyone involved in education worldwide. Their dedication to sharing knowledge and expertise is a commendable effort in helping individuals with dysgraphia and similar challenges.
In conclusion, Maria Chivers and Dr David Edward Cowell’s tireless efforts and advocacy have significantly contributed to raising awareness about dysgraphia and providing valuable resources to support individuals affected by this condition. Their commitment to the cause is an inspiring example of how dedicated individuals can drive positive change and make a difference in the lives of those facing learning difficulties.
23 September 2023
Research shows that the brain engages differently when we write by hand rather than typing.
¹ Furthermore, studies have also shown that if children can continue to write by hand to the age of ten, they will be more successful in their academic careers in the future.
Maria Chivers & Dr David E Cowell – 2023
www.dyslexiaa2z.com
¹Alli Can’t Write is a children’s book on handwriting with a section for parents, carers and teachers at the back of the book.
The First Dysgraphia Awareness Day (IDAD) in the World was registered in July 2022 by Maria Chivers from Dyslexia A2Z.
The Second International Dysgraphia Awareness Day (IDAD) was held on Monday 1st October 2023. Maria Chivers organised this from Dyslexia A2Z and Arran Smith from SEND.
The Third International Dysgraphia Awareness Day (IDAD) will be held on Monday 7th October 2024. This will be organised by Maria Chivers from Dyslexia A2Z.
Dr. David, Edward Cowell, and Maria L. M. Chivers wrote the first definition of dysgraphia in the World in 2008 to help people understand it.
As more research was published during the next ten years, we updated it in 2019 to reflect our understanding.
‘Dysgraphia means having severe problems with handwriting, which is associated with extreme difficulty with fine motor skills and problems with the speed of processing – despite having a normal intellectual ability.’
by Dr David Edward Cowell & Maria Chivers *2019 ©
*Updated from 2008
In 2008, Dr David Edward Cowell and I, Mrs Maria Chivers, recognised the urgent need for a clear, practical definition of dysgraphia to support those working with children facing handwriting difficulties.
At that time, despite growing awareness of the challenges some children experienced with writing, there was no universally accepted or practical definition of dysgraphia to help people with dysgraphia. Drawing on our combined experience—and after working closely with many affected children and consulting with teachers and other professionals—we created what we believe was the first working definition of dysgraphia.
Dr Cowell, whose academic and professional background is exceptional—holding a BSc, MPhil, and PhD, and being a Chartered Psychologist and Life Member of the Royal Society of Medicine—brought deep insight and expertise to our collaboration.
In 2019, a decade after we first shared our definition, we updated it to reflect further research and developments in the field. Since then, understanding of dysgraphia has continued to grow, and many knowledgeable professionals have contributed valuable perspectives of their own. Of course, definitions vary, and each brings something important to the conversation.
We’re proud to have laid an early foundation, and we are grateful to those who have expanded on it. We continue to value and learn from the collective wisdom of the wider community working to support individuals with dysgraphia.
© 2025 Maria L M Chivers &
Dr David Edward Cowell, BSc,. MPhil, PhD.
Chartered Psychologist
Life Member of the Royal Society of Medicine.
The first “Dysgraphia Awareness Day” in the World was held on Monday, 3rd October, 2022. an event by Maria Chivers of the “Dyslexia A2Z” and helped by her friend and mentor, Dr David Cowell.
We registered our day in July 2022 and had a successful day and made many new contacts on our Facebook pages for Dysgraphia Awareness and Dysgraphia Support Group for Parents UK. We have several people from other countries who wish to be involved next year.
I am already working on next year’s programme, which will be on Monday, 2 October 2023.
If you have any suggestions or ideas or if you wish to participate, please get in touch with me.
Author and researcher, Raising Awareness of all aspects of Neurodiversity, including Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Visual Stress & other Learning Difficulties.
Email: [email protected].
Maria Chivers & Dr David E Cowell – 2022
www.dyslexiaa2z.com
Exclusively Designed for us is this Dysgraphia Enamel Awareness Badge.
To purchase, please go to eBay.
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