{"id":8459,"date":"2019-08-01T07:55:25","date_gmt":"2019-08-01T07:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/?p=8459"},"modified":"2021-06-17T16:17:00","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T16:17:00","slug":"14-signs-of-dysgraphia-to-watch-for-in-your-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/14-signs-of-dysgraphia-to-watch-for-in-your-child\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Signs of Dysgraphia to Watch For in Your Child"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It has to be said that learning to write words as well as sentences clearly and correctly is always one of the key focuses of a child’s elementary school years and something that is key to their early development in an educational setting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All young kids have at least some kind of difficulty, however minor when it comes to writing or perfecting penmanship. That\u2019s par for the course. But if a child’s handwriting is consistently distorted or becoming increasingly and consistently unclear, that could well be caused by a learning disability called dysgraphia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a complex nervous system problem that affects the very fine motor skills that a child needs in order to be able to write. It makes it incredibly hard for a child to do handwriting tasks and assignments, and ultimately to succeed in school. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking out for the signs of dysgraphia can be a good way to stay ahead of the game, as once you know what you\u2019re dealing with, you’re halfway to finding a solution to the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Cramped grip, which may lead to a sore hand<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a child is writing <\/a>with what looks like an excessively cramped grip, especially when this grip leads to hand pain and sore wrists and fingers, this could be a sign of dysgraphia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason for the excessive grip is that the child is finding it harder than they should to be able to keep the pencil or the pen in alignment and in the correct position in order to be able to write. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is important to remember here that this cramped grip has nothing to do with anger or frustration away from the writing task, as is often assumed, and that simply telling a child to relax or allowing them the opportunity to relax won\u2019t necessarily address this problem sufficiently as it isn\u2019t something they can solve as easily as that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This can be a bit of a vicious cycle too, as if a child associated writing with developing a sore hand, they are unlikely to want to jump back into a writing task too soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Difficulty spacing things out on paper or within margins (poor spatial planning)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the most common signs of dysgraphia in children is the observation of a lack of spacing between their letters, figures, and words in their written work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writing that is produced can often look as though letters have been written on top of each other and can be incredibly difficult to decipher, for a child or an adult, given that there may be very little, if indeed any spacing between the words at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is something that teachers and educators throughout the land are constantly trying to remind children of, and it is actually a problem that a lot of children, even those without dysgraphia<\/a>, tend to struggle within their earliest experiences of writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this reason, one shouldn’t necessarily jump straight to the conclusion that a person has dysgraphia just because they don’t use spaces. Instead, this should be checked for using a range of different measures which remind children of the need to space things out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Frequent erasing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another sign to watch out for in children <\/a>who are suspected of having dysgraphia is the frequent need or desire to erase written work. Interestingly, just because a child\u2019s presentation and written work might be hard to read and scruffily presented, this doesn\u2019t mean that they are someone who takes no pride in the presentation of their work, they simply can’t do anything about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This manifests in a lot of instances as the child feeling the need to rub out their work as they feel it isn’t good enough or neat enough to call finished or indeed to show to a teacher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is another vicious cycle type problem though, as excessive and frequent erasing can make written work look even more untidy and even more difficult to decipher and read. Again, this, in turn, puts the child off taking part in written tasks again in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of a sudden, a small problem looks like it could be part of a wider and more complex issue, such as dysgraphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Inconsistency in letter and word spacing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a child shows inconsistencies in their spacing between letters and words, this could also be a telltale sign of dysgraphia being present. In the same piece of work, a child may show exemplary spacing between a couple of sentences, only to revert back to showing no regard for spacing whatsoever in the next couple of sentences. In a lot of cases, this can be wrongly attributed to laziness<\/a>, when the opposite is actually true. Sometimes it may have taken extreme concentration, determination and focus from a child to be able to write as neatly and with as many equal and consistent spaces for a couple of sentences or for a single sentence that they simply can\u2019t commit to keeping up that level of concentration for much longer, meaning that the rest of the written work suffers as a result. This can present as poor spacing between letters and between words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Poor spelling, including unfinished words <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Spelling <\/a>is something that has flummoxed children and adults for hundreds of years and just because a person struggles to spell, this doesn\u2019t mean they have dysgraphia. It is when the misspelling continues even after targeted interventions and guided support that dysgraphia may need to be considered or assessed for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often, when children misspell words, there are patterns or recurring mistakes that are easy to spot, and in many cases, easy to rectify and remedy. With dysgraphia though, the mistakes seemingly appear in every word and with no rhyme or reason as to where the mistake or the misconception has come from. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When this is the case, as well as if there is the presence of any unfinished words, dysgraphia might be suspected and should be tested for. Remember though, plenty of people who struggle to spell correctly don\u2019t have dysgraphia so there really is no need to go jumping to conclusions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Missing words or letters<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another potential indicator of the presence of dysgraphia is when a child misses out words or letters from sentences and words. An example could be found when a child is busy writing a narrative and they seemingly miss out of all of the connecting words or conjunctions<\/a>, such as \u2018and’ or \u2018but’. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This omission of a particular category of words should not be blamed on a lack of understanding or on laziness but should be considered as a potential signpost for something like dysgraphia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the child reads the work back, providing it is legible to them, they may not even realize that they have left words out and in some cases may even say aloud the sort of word that you would expect to be in the missing place, almost automatically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When something like this occurs, it is definitely worth considering the presence of dysgraphia as these things are usually very reliable indicators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Unusual wrist, body, or paper position while writing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If a child is displaying unusual technique with their wrist when in the action of writing, such as craning it or making it look like a duck, this could be a sign of dysgraphia that needs exploring. Likewise, if a child is holding their body in an unusual way whilst taking part in a writing activity, this could also be a signal that they are experiencing dysgraphia and is something that is definitely worth further investigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason for these positional and postural anomalies is quite complex but could actually be to do with the child trying almost too hard to concentrate on their task, and in doing so they lose concentration <\/a>and even some control over their body and the way that it is being held and controlled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another sign to look out for when considering dysgraphia could be the paper position of a child when they are writing. If for instance a child is holding the paper at a right angle to themselves or even writing upside down as is sometimes the case, this can be a dead giveaway for the presence of dysgraphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Difficulty with creative writing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Creative writing tasks are things that people with dysgraphia struggle with immensely, because the actual skill of writing <\/a>is taking up all of their mental capacity and concentration, meaning that they are unable to give any real thought or headspace to the need to generate original and creative ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Children with dysgraphia may be able to contribute fantastic ideas verbally or in a group conversation scenario, only to find themselves challenged when it comes to the actual writing task. This is not uncommon in children with dysgraphia and is proof that just because they can\u2019t necessarily always get the ideas out onto the paper, that they are not poor thinkers or that they lack ideas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All of these signs may vary from child to child and from case to case, and it is true that just because a child may have one of these signs, they do not necessarily have dysgraphia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\r\n

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