Dysgraphia & Writing Challenges: How to Support Your Child

By Dina Halaseh
Educational Psychologist 

What Is Dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia is a condition that affects a child’s ability to write, often impacting their fine motor skills and making handwriting slow or even painful.

As a result, their handwriting may be difficult to read.

But dysgraphia goes beyond just handwriting — it can also affect a child’s ability to express thoughts in writing, which in turn can impact their academic performance and, in many cases, their self-esteem.

Types of Dysgraphia

There are different types of dysgraphia, each with distinct challenges:

Motor Dysgraphia: Typically caused by poor fine motor skills, this form affects handwriting, drawing and the ability to form letters correctly.

Linguistic Dysgraphia: Despite having good motor control, in this case, students struggle with spelling, grammar and organising their thoughts in writing.

Spatial Dysgraphia: Involves difficulty with spatial awareness, affecting letter and word spacing, alignment and letter size.

This often results in disorganised and hard-to-read written work.

Signs of Dysgraphia 

Here are the common signs of dysgraphia: 

- Poor handwriting.

- Difficulty with holding a pencil.

- Struggling with letter spacing, size, or writing within lines.

- Trouble copying words.

- Avoiding writing tasks.

- Difficulty organizing ideas and putting them into words.

What to Look Out for at Different Ages

Children: Dysgraphia often appears as difficulty learning to write, messy handwriting and frequent complaints of hand pain during writing tasks.

Teens: In adolescence, the signs may shift to avoiding written tasks, frequent spelling errors and difficulty organising essays or notes.

Adults: In adulthood, dysgraphia can present as trouble taking notes, consistently poor handwriting and challenges with spelling or written communication.

Writing is a fundamental skill, essential across nearly all subjects.

Children with dysgraphia often struggle to complete assignments or take notes efficiently.

Over time, these challenges can lead to frustration, anxiety and even a reluctance to participate in academic settings.

That’s why early intervention is so important.

If your child is struggling with writing and it’s affecting their academic performance, it’s time to seek support and uncover the root cause.

By understanding what they’re experiencing and providing the right tools, we can empower our children to succeed — both in and out of the classroom.

Reprinted with permission from Family Flavours magazine