Dysgraphia – it is not just about sloppy handwriting.
Dysgraphia in general refers to sloppy handwriting, but more importantly, it is the inability to write down coherent thoughts on paper. Between what appears as careless handwriting and slow and laborious writing, the assignment often gets lost.
Dysgraphia in handwriting is characterized by:
• Unevenly spaced letters.
• Capital letters and small letters within the same word.
• Different ways of writing the same letter (a mixture of small, big, uneven, slanted, straight).
• Different spelling of the same words.
• Leaving out consonants.
• Uneven margins.
• No paragraphs, just many sentences.
• Inconsistent spacing between words.
• People with dysgraphia often leave out entire words.
• Errors in punctuation such as no periods or too many commas.
• Frequently numbers are reversed such 21 for 12.
• When writing a numbered list there might be numbers missing, skipped numbers, or the same number twice.
• Large parts of a sentence or paragraph is missing when text is copied.
Dysgraphia in the thought process is often shown by:
• Moving the mouth while writing.
• Holding the pencil or pen really tight.
• People with dysgraphia wrap their hand, arm, and even their entire body around the pencil, producing some fascinating body posture.
• They can verbalize their thought, but they can’t get it on paper, even when they type it.
• Because they are so focused on the writing part, they often lose track of their argument and their writing becomes incoherent.
• Getting frustrated with any writing assignment.
Can we fix dysgraphia?
Yes and no. There are certain programs that reduce the amount of dysgraphia a person has. However, most of the reduction comes from adjusting the assignments, learning different coping skills, and using technology.
What should be put in an Individual Education Plan?
It is very important for the parents of a child who has dysgraphia to get a proper Individual Education Plan (IEP). This allows for a major reduction in stress in the child. Some of the adjustments that a parent might want to consider are:
• Shorter assignments.
• Deleting time constrains.
• Allow the use of computer or iPad with word-processing and spellcheck capability.
• Having a “scribe” that writes down the person’s thoughts.
• Using speech-to-text technology.
• Provide an outline with the titles, headers, and important concepts in order to allow the student to fill in the blanks and add their own highlighting, drawings, and symbols.
• Reduce the amount of copying required and allow for them to just write the answers.
• Give partial credit for good thoughts or concepts understood, even if the answer is wrong.
• No grading on neatness or spelling, but grade on concepts.
• Get help with breaking a large projects into smaller sections and making an outline. Ensure the person with dysgraphia has the ability to stay on track.
• Getting oral tests to ensure the concepts are understood.
• Have students being able to chose whatever pen, pencil, paper, colored paper, width line, or size paper they are most comfortable with.
With a solid IEP, each child with dysgraphia can be successful!