Dysgraphia (pronounced: dis-graf-eea) affects approximately 10% of the population. Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder, and dysgraphia symptoms are characterised by the inability to write correctly. Dysgraphia refers specifically to the failure to perform operations in handwriting, and it could be described as an extreme difficulty with fine motor skills.
Fine motor skills are essential for good writing. Students with dysgraphia symptoms may have problems with the simplest writing tasks; their handwriting will barely be legible; the writing will appear incorrect; or distorted, and letters of different sizes and different size spaces between letters. Students have particular difficulties following a straight line and keeping to a margin. Students with dysgraphia find it particularly painful when writing by hand—symptoms / Indicators of Dysgraphia.
There are several types of dysgraphia
‘Dysgraphia means having severe problems with handwriting, which is associated with extreme difficulty with fine motor skills and/or problems with the speed of processing – in spite of having a normal intellectual ability.’
by Dr David Edward Cowell & Maria Chivers *2019 ©
*Updated from 2008
It is essential to recognise dysgraphia as soon as possible before it impacts a child’s self-esteem. Just as there is no single set of signs characterising dyslexia, there is no one cause of dysgraphia. The earlier dysgraphia is diagnosed, the easier it is to ensure the student receives the proper support at home, school, or the workplace. Although there is no cure for dysgraphia, appropriate tuition can help alleviate these problems.
These difficulties often result in considerable frustration, considering that people with dysgraphia are usually of average intelligence.
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