Dysgraphia is "difficulty with writing." Children, students, and adults with dysgraphia may have difficulty with every aspect of the writing process, but handwriting and spelling are often particularly difficult. Though students with Dysgraphia can also have issues with fine motor dexterity, Dysgraphia is truly about difficulty with the translation of words into symbols via handwriting, or, in the helpful words of University of Washington Professor Emerita Virginia W. Berninger, PhD, "language by hand." Students of all ages with Dysgraphia tend to find writing effort-intensive, and make unusual, characteristic errors in their handwriting. Of note is that in a person with Dysgraphia, handwriting problems do not occur because of carelessness or inadequate handwriting practice, and asking the student to copy letters and words over and over is quite unlikely to help.
And of course, writing is much more than handwriting and spelling: Fluent written composition requires the simultaneous management of word selection, grammatical processing, attention to writing mechanics, and the organization of ideas, as writing is about meaning making. Students who find handwriting and spelling both effort-intensive and highly frustrating can develop an aversion to writing and/or anxiety when asked to write, either of which can further complicate the problem as a student who won't write has little opportunity to benefit from writing practice. Some individuals with dysgraphia also have accompanying issues that need to be diagnosed and addressed separately, such as visuomotor coordination problems, attention deficits, or language processing issues. Dysgraphia can also co-occur with reading or math learning disabilities, ADHD, or Nonverbal Learning Disorder.
And of course, writing is much more than handwriting and spelling: Fluent written composition requires the simultaneous management of word selection, grammatical processing, attention to writing mechanics, and the organization of ideas, as writing is about meaning making. Students who find handwriting and spelling both effort-intensive and highly frustrating can develop an aversion to writing and/or anxiety when asked to write, either of which can further complicate the problem as a student who won't write has little opportunity to benefit from writing practice. Some individuals with dysgraphia also have accompanying issues that need to be diagnosed and addressed separately, such as visuomotor coordination problems, attention deficits, or language processing issues. Dysgraphia can also co-occur with reading or math learning disabilities, ADHD, or Nonverbal Learning Disorder.