10 Tips to Help Children with Dysgraphia

Need to help children with dysgraphia? Does your child struggle to write on the appropriate lines provided? Do you know or teach a child who is challenged and/or frustrated with simply forming basic letters and words? A child or student with these issues just might be challenged with dysgraphia.

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder characterized by writing disabilities. Specifically, the disorder causes a person’s writing to be distorted or incorrect. In children, the disorder generally emerges when they are first introduced to writing. They make inappropriately sized and spaced letters, or write wrong or misspelled words, despite thorough and appropriate instruction.

Children with the disorder may have other learning disabilities; however, they usually have no social or other academic problems. Dysgraphia in adults generally occurs after some trauma. In addition to poor handwriting, dysgraphia is characterized by wrong or odd spelling, and production of words that are not correct (i.e., using “boy” for “child”). The cause of the disorder is unknown, but in adults, it is usually associated with damage to the parietal lobe of the brain.

1. First, CHANGE the paper used for writing.

A person with dysgraphia experiences significant challenges in the writing process. These challenges involve the inability to organize information that is stored in memory AND getting words on to paper by handwriting or typing them.

These 2 challenges prevent persons with dysgraphia from understanding the spacing between letters, words, and sentences. In order to help your child visualize the space and to minimize frustration, first consider replacing your child’s lined paper with graph paper or turn the lined paper sideways, with each letter getting its own block/space and leaving an empty block/space between words.

You might also try using various kinds of highlighted printing papers. There are a few online sources for such supplies. (Please see FREE downloadable templates available via the link provided below here, too.)

Also, consider changing the color of the writing paper. A particular pastel color for paper may help alleviate some of the visual stress caused by white papers. Just the “right” colored paper for your child could make a positive difference, if only in the way he approaches the writing task.

2. CHANGE the writing tool or instrument your child uses.

Dysgraphia affects fine motor control. Because of this, gripping a pencil or pen lightly isn’t natural. Encourage your child to write as if she were holding a feather, or take it a bit further and give her an actual quill and ink. Feathers are delicate and children tend to handle them much more gently than they do a solid object like a pencil. If a quill is not readily available, consider using chalk, as it will crumble if pressed too hard.

As for writing surfaces, the bigger, the better! Use an easel or a large sheet of white poster board. Another option is to use sliding glass doors on which to write (with washable markers or transparency pens) as they are huge. These large glass surfaces naturally encourage children to write much more softly than they would on other surfaces. In addition, glass doors can easily and quickly be washed.

Also, adding a soft and comfortable pencil grip or holder to the writing tool currently used can provide much support for a struggling writer. These types of pencil grips can be found online from various sources for support needs.

3. TEACH your child to type and effectively use a computer keyboard.

To help eliminate much of the stress of repeated writing difficulties, allow your child to express his ideas and thoughts with a word processor or computer keyboard. Providing this option can relax and enable your child to make more progress in learning in all content areas. Another option for this purpose is a portable keyboard/word processor called AlphaSmart. Although an older type of assistive technology, the AlphaSmart keyboards can provide the needed typing tool for a challenged writer and is available online either new or used.

4. INTRODUCE your child to gross motor skill exercises.

Show your child a few gross motor skill exercises to strengthen the arm and hand. Then incorporate these exercises into your child’s daily routine. Make them fun, combining them with rhymes or your child’s favorite kind of music. A good resource for these types of exercises is OT Mom Learning Activities (please see “gross motor” link below here).

5. INTRODUCE fine motor control exercises.

Introduce fine motor control exercises to strengthen the fingers and wrist. Add these to your child’s daily activities as well. By combining these exercises with some relaxing instrumental music selections, your child may relax a bit more and be able to concentrate on the exercises more successfully. A variety of fine motor exercises can also be accessed via many support needs or OT websites, such as OT Mom Learning Activities, too (please see “fine motor” link below here).

6. CONSIDER by-passing printing & proceed directly to cursive writing.

The move to cursive, too, can significantly reduce the levels of frustration experienced by many with dysgraphia, allowing them to relax and become better able to write. This might be a temporary by-pass of printing, or it could become more permanent, depending upon the results observed with the cursive writing.

7. DEVELOP & UTILIZE narration or speaking skills whenever possible.

Dysgraphia causes some individuals to experience a block between thinking something and writing it. Narration is an excellent tool for helping your child record her thoughts. Saying letters and words aloud as they are recorded on a small tech device (mp3 player or the like) or with a text-to-speech program will also be a benefit when it is time to write down those words. A handy list will have already been created.

8. WORK TOGETHER to evaluate & change your writing goals as needed.

Discuss at least once per week about how the accommodations are working to help your child. Even if your child is young, he can provide valuable input as to what is working and what is not. He may even have additional ideas to add or request, especially after you have begun to show him just a few helpful strategies or accommodations.

9. DEMONSTRATE and USE large “air writing” techniques.

Demonstrate and use large “air writing” of letters to develop a more efficient motor memory for the sequence of steps necessary in making each letter. You might also introduce “sand writing” which involves using the finder to write out letters in a sided tray of sand. These multi-sensory approaches often yield very positive results.

10. MAKE USE of a other multi-sensory techniques.

Make use of a variety of multi-sensory techniques to further develop handwriting skills. Visit Dysgraphia Resources to access more than 200 multi-sensory activities, tools and other resources to help your child with the challenges of dysgraphia (many of the resources there are FREE, too!)