All about dysgraphia

National Handwriting Association committee member Catherine Elsey is a paediatric occupational therapist, and recommends that parents start with basic body positioning when it comes to assessing their child’s handwriting practices before looking at letter formation.
 

• “Look at the biomechanics first,” she says. “Find out if your child is ready ergonomically and posturally to begin writing.” Is your child comfortable where they’re sitting? Are the table and chair height right for them? Are their feet flat on the floor?
• “Ask children if they get any pain or discomfort when writing, and to show you where,” says Catherine. This will tell you which part of their arm that they’re using to write. Children with dysgraphia will likely be using most of their arm to write, and could have aches and pains in their shoulder, arm and/or wrist. “The most common problem I see is wrist positioning,” Catherine explains. “Most parents just look at the thumb and finger position.” Check to see if your child’s wrist is relaxed as they write and moving smoothly across the page as they do, or if it jumps along while they try to stretch their fingers to reach further along a line. “You need to go back and look at where the problem starts,” says Catherine.
• When you set out paper for your child to write on, make sure it’s angled correctly, on the right or left side of the body (depending on which hand your child writes with), and not positioned flat and straight. “Right-handed writing naturally goes in an uphill movement,” explains Catherine, “and left-handed writing moves downhill. Children will end up twisting their body to compensate.”
• You can work on strengthening hand and finger muscles with toys you probably already have. For instance, playing with clay and Lego will help reinforce what children need to write. “You can use any toy that requires resistance, and has a bit of push and pull,” says Catherine. Encourage your children to think about what they’re doing with their hands as they play.
• If you think your child may have dysgraphia, you may find help at school. “Check what they have to help kids with handwriting difficulties,” Catherine says. They may have a handwriting group, for instance, or be able to recommend computer programmes you can try at home.”

If you are concerned that your child has dysgraphia, speak to your child’s teacher, and read the National Handwriting Association’s advice for parents and information on where you can find dysgraphia support.

You can also read more information about how your child learns to write and plan some at-home handwriting practice with our advice for parents and selection of handwriting and patterning worksheets.