Image source: http://homeschoolgameschool.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/dysgraphia10.jpg
Learning disabilities are separated into three groups, academic skills disorders, speech and language disorders and miscellaneous disorders. This first group, academic skills disorders, are disabilities that delay a child's progress in school, such as dyslexia, dysgraphia (or agraphia) and dyscalculia. The second group, speech and language disorders, are disorders in which a child's speech, hearing, or understanding of spoken words are delayed. Miscellaneous learning disabilities, the third group, include fine motor skills problems (dyspraxia) or nonverbal learning disability.
Dysgraphia is a learning disability characterized by illegible handwriting. The letters may be the wrong size or spaced incorrectly. A person suffering from dysgraphia may frequently misspell written words, although they can read the same word just fine. Another possible problem with dysgraphia is using the wrong word in a sentence, for example using the word 'man' in place of 'John'. Dysgraphia in children is usually found when parents first start teaching their child to write their name. Sometimes children with dysgraphia have another learning disability, but they usually have no problems socializing with other children. When dysgraphia develops in an adult, it is usually caused by some type of trauma.
Dysgraphia treatments vary depending on the type of dysgraphia you have and if you have another learning disability. One type of dysgraphia, motor dysgraphia, is caused by poor fine motor skills and can be treated with occupational therapy to improve those skills. Spatial dysgraphia is caused by a person not understanding space (items at different distances appear the same distance away). This type of dysgraphia may benefit from a course of treatment designed to correct neurological problems. The final type of dysgraphia, dyslexic dysgraphia, does not appear to have a simple cause and may not improve with any kind of treatment. If a person's writing skills do not improve with treatment, some doctors suggest that person use a computer for any written communication.
Other ways to help a dysgraphic person are changing the way you teach (not very reasonable for public school teachers), modifying handwriting jobs, or providing extra handwriting practice. There are many different ways of helping dysgraphic people. For children just beginning to write, it may be helpful to use a special paper designed with raised lines to help them stay in the lines. Another good idea for beginning writers is to use a multi-sensory approach to writing letters, specifically the letters that trouble beginning writers the most (p, q, b, d), for example saying how the letters look, "big stick down, circle toward me" for a 'd'. Young students (second or third grade) may benefit from using graph paper for math work to keep the numbers properly lined up in problems. It may also be helpful for them if their teacher allows them extra time on handwriting assignments or uses alternate ways to determine comprehension of a subject, for example doing a presentation or science project can show how well a student understands the material. Teenagers and adults with dysgraphia may receive the most benefit from having a tape recorder. These can be used to supplement their note taking skills or to record their brainstorming sessions before starting a writing assignment. These suggestions can be used with any age group, but some are more appropriate for the stated ages.
