Dysgraphia Diagnosis

The learning disability dysgraphia is characterized by a difficulty expressing yourself in writing. This neurological disorder typically appears when children begin learning to write, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Cause

• According to West Virginia University, studies indicate dysgraphia in children results from problems with the sequential/rational information processing. Adults who suffer injury to their parietal lobe can also develop this condition, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Manifestation

• Dysgraphia often results in misspelled words, very bad handwriting, improperly-sized letters, writing words backward, mixing up letters and numbers, incomplete words, missing or wrong punctuation, inconsistencies in word spacing and type of writing--for example, switching between print and cursive or upper and lowercase letters.

Diagnosis

• Children are typically referred to an occupational therapist or school psychologist who can evaluate their situation, according to Dyscalculia.org and licensed school psychologist Margaret J. Kay. They look for certain things that can indicate dysgraphia, including problems with cognitive or sensory-motor skills and how the child physically writes, among other things. Certain tests might also be useful in diagnosing written language disorders; some examples include the Jordan Left-Right Reversal Test and the Bender-Gestalt II.

Treatment

• Possible treatments include addressing disorders that might affect the physical act of writing or memory as well as any other neurological problems, according to NINDS. West Virginia University suggests a number of strategies including recording thoughts on a tape recorder and writing them down later, using a computer rather than pen and paper, saying thoughts out loud while writing and drawing pictures to outline ideas.

Support

• Children with dysgraphia might require special support in school. WVU offers several suggestions for teachers including giving the student more time to complete written assignments and tests, assigning projects earlier to allow more time to finish them and providing partial outlines of information they need to take notes on rather than requiring the student to complete them all on his own.

Outlook

• Some people overcome this disorder completely while others struggle with it throughout their lives, according to the NINDS.