Questions about handwriting difficulties
I’m concerned about my child’s handwriting. What should I do?
Your child needs handwriting intervention or assessment if he/she has following problems:
- Knowing how to form letters and numbers from memory.
- Letter orientation (letter direction).
- Placement of the letters/numbers on the lines of the paper.
Size of the letters/numbers. - Starting the letters/numbers at the proper place.
- How to sequence the formation of the letters.
- Spacing between letters and words.
- Handwriting control, neatness, and overall legibility.
- Discomfort in gripping a pencil.
Can handwriting difficulties be cured?
Early handwriting intervention is important. Targeted intervention by an occupational therapist or a specialist teacher will make a noticeable difference for most children. Some children may find handwriting extremely difficult, for them keyboarding is essential alternative.
My child’s handwriting is slow and untidy. Does this mean he is dyslexic or dyspraxic?
Many of the children who are diagnosed with a developmental disorder experience difficulties with handwriting. These include children with reading and spelling problem, attention issues and those who are poorly coordinated and those with disorders on the autistic spectrum, but a handwriting difficulty on its own is not sufficient to indicate the presence of one of these disorders.
However, children with sever handwriting difficulties can be diagnosed with Dysgraphia.
Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder characterised by the inability to write correctly.
Dysgraphia is a learning difficulty caused by a neurological disorder. Dysgraphia symptoms are characterised by the inability to write correctly. Children with Dysgraphia often presents with poor ‘fine-motor’ skills, which impacts on their; spelling; getting their thoughts down on paper. It also related to the amount of processing requires to be done in the brain to complete a written work.