Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder, according to the National Institute of Neurologic Disorders and Stroke that affects fine motor skills. Specifically, those with dysgraphia have writing disabilities that result in their writing being incorrect. This disorder is usually identified during early childhood when writing is first introduced. Dysgraphia does not have clearly defined criteria, as reported by West Virginia University, which is why being aware of the common signs and symptoms is important.
Poor Handwriting
Dysgraphia is characterized by poor handwriting. The writing is usually illegible and students with dysgraphia must make an effort to slow down to form their letters correctly.
Lack of Punctuation
Those with dysgraphia will often not use punctuation marks. When punctuation is present, it is often used randomly and in incorrect places.
Incorrect Pencil Posture
Students who suffer from dysgraphia will often hold their writing utensils incorrectly. They may grip the pencil too close to the paper or their grip is too tight, resulting in their hands becoming cramped. Their writing is often performed from the wrist instead of the fingers because of incorrect finger placement on the pencil.
This symptom is most noticeable in the strange way that they hold their wrists or place their paper in relation to their bodies.
Inconsistencies
Those with dysgraphia often write with inconsistencies. They may write with a mixture of cursive and print writing. They may also write with both capital letters and lower case letters mixed in together.
They also exhibit inconsistencies in spelling. The same word may be spelled in a different way each time it is written, even within the same assignment.
Number Reversals
The writing disability of dysgraphia is not exclusive to letters. Those with dysgraphia often have trouble writing numbers because they write them out of sequence. Number reversal is also common, writing "27" with the "7" first followed by the "2."
Difficulty Thinking
Children with dysgraphia will often perform poorly on creative writing assignments because they have trouble thinking and writing at the same time. In addition, because they must concentrate so hard on making their writing legible, they often lose their train of thought on what there were going to write next.
Poor Spatial Planning
People with dysgraphia have a difficult time with writing correctly on the paper. They will often write in the margins. Their inability to visualize how the writing will appear and be spaced on the paper, known as poor spatial planning, leads to inconsistent spacing between letters and words.
Talking
Children with dygraphia will often talk while they are writing.
