8 Signs Your Child Has Dysgraphia

For someone with dysgraphia, it is often like having the ability to read and speak like Shakespeare with the inability to express it in written form. Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects the ability to communicate the thought process through hand writing.

The easiest way to explain dysgraphia in laymen terms is that there is a short between the brain and the hand. Normally the brain takes in information, processes it and then sends signals to the hand to form that information into written expression but the dysgraphic hand fails to understand those brain signals which often results in frustration, misspelled words, incorrectly formed lines and shapes and moderate to severe hand cramps. Dysgraphia is most commonly referred to as the handwriting disability because of it's direct result on handwriting skills and the lack thereof.

When my son was diagnosed with dysgraphia at the tender age of 9 we had no idea he was having these problems. We just assumed he wasn't putting any effort into his writing. The physician asked me, "What do we call someone with messy writing?" I said, "A doctor." And she said, "Exactly." It was a real eye opener and I wish that I had known the symptoms long, long ago. Here are some of the symptoms of dysgraphia and how can tell if your child should be tested by a physician.

Inability to user silverware properly. Children typically begin to use silverware somewhere between six months of age to a year but they don't begin to use it properly until somewhere around the age of 3 ½ or 4. Dysgraphic children struggle with this for much longer. If your child is 5 or 6 and still grasps his spoon like a samurai warrior, often missing their mouth and dropping food all over the floor then you should talk to your pediatrician about the motor skill development of your child. This is one of the earliest signs of dysgraphia.