If you are coming here from our "Understanding YOUR Child's Learning Challenges" quiz to learn more about your child’s areas of concern, WELCOME!
Now that you've taken our brief quiz, below is a detailed checklist that will help you confirm if the area identified by the quiz is a significant concern.
If you notice these signs, you may want to consider using the information as we guide you through the steps of requesting an initial evaluation from the school
If you haven't yet taken our quiz
What is Dysgraphia and Specific Learning Disability in Written Expression?
Some children find holding a pencil and writing neatly challenging. It's like trying to draw a picture while riding on a bumpy road in the car. They might also have trouble forming letters correctly, keeping their writing straight on the page, or writing for long periods without their hands getting tired.
Other children may find spelling and organizing thoughts on paper challenging. It's like trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the final picture should look like. They might struggle with putting their ideas into coherent sentences, remembering how to spell common words, or organizing their paragraphs logically.
Some children might struggle with both.
Two common conditions whose names are sometimes used interchangeably are Dysgraphia and Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in Written Expression. While they share some similarities, they are actually two different writing challenges. Understanding the differences and overlaps between these terms can help when creating effective Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and targeted interventions for students facing these challenges.
To help you visualize, better understand, and perhaps relate to children with writing difficulties, we've chosen the spider as a symbol for children with this learning challenge.
Why we chose a spider to describe these students:
Imagine a spider weaving an intricate web, carefully planning each thread to create a perfect design. Just as a spider might struggle to coordinate and complete this complex pattern, a child with writing difficulties faces similar challenges. They may find it hard to start writing, organize their thoughts, and produce a clear, cohesive piece. In addition, they may find it hard to write neatly and maintain consistent letter sizing and spacing, leading to frustration and fatigue.
Dysgraphia or SLD in Written Expression?
Dysgraphia: What You Need to Know
Dysgraphia primarily affects the physical act of writing. Children with dysgraphia often have poor handwriting, difficulty with fine motor skills, and struggle to grip a pencil correctly. These issues make writing laborious and uncomfortable, leading to slow writing speed and frequent erasures. For example, you might notice your child's letters are irregular in size and spacing or that they complain of hand pain after writing only a few sentences.
Characteristics of Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is characterized by a range of writing difficulties, primarily due to issues with fine motor skills and the physical act of writing.
We've created this checklist to help you identify if your child might have dysgraphia. It outlines common characteristics and provides real-life examples to illustrate these challenges. This guide can be an essential first step in recognizing the signs of dysgraphia and seeking the appropriate support for your child.
Here are the key characteristics, along with examples for each:
Illegible Handwriting:
Struggles to write with consistent letter sizes, shapes, and spacing, making the text hard to read.
Example: Emma writes the letters "b" and "d" in a way that makes them indistinguishable, and her words are cramped together without clear spaces.
Inconsistent Spacing:
When writing a sentence, the spaces between words are irregular, with some words squished together and others having large gaps in between.
Example: Jason may write the sentence "The cat sat on the mat" as "Thecat s at on the m at."
Difficulty with Fine Motor Skills:
Struggles to control a pencil, leading to frequently dropping it or awkward grips.
Example: Thomas might hold his pencil with an overly tight or loose grip, resulting in messy and erratic strokes.
Poor Pencil Grip and Discomfort While Writing:
Struggles to use a conventional grip and instead may hold the pencil with a fist instead of using a tripod grip.
Example: Susie held her pencil with two fingers, which led to hand cramps and fatigue after writing only a few sentences.
Slow Writing Speed:
Often takes much longer to complete writing tasks compared to peers.
Example: While other students finished a paragraph in 5 minutes, Sam took 20 minutes to complete the same paragraph.
Frequent Erasures and Cross-Outs:
The written work shows many corrections, with numerous words erased or crossed out due to mistakes or dissatisfaction with the handwriting.
Example: Lily's page is often filled with smudges and rewritten words.
Difficulty with Letter Formation:
Struggles to form letters correctly, often mixing up letters like "b" and "d"or writing them backward.
Example: Instead of writing "dog," Bob may write "bog" or "pog."
Challenges in Copying from the Board or a Book:
Has trouble transferring information from one source to another, such as copying notes from the whiteboard into a notebook. This can result in incomplete or inaccurate notes.
Example: Susie often missed words when copying her notes from the board.
Avoidance of Writing Tasks:
Shows reluctance or refusal to engage in writing activities, often expressing frustration or making excuses to avoid them.
Example: Jonathan complains, "My hand hurts," or "I can't do this," when he is asked to write.
Difficulty with Spatial Organization on Paper:
Struggles to align text properly on the lines of a page, with letters floating above or below the lines and uneven margins. The text might slant upwards or downwards rather than following a straight line.
Example: Brian's writing goes down at an angle when writing his spelling list.
Dysgraphia is more focused on the physical act of writing than the broader cognitive and organizational aspects.
Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in Written Expression:
What You Need to Know
On the other hand, SLD in Written
Expression encompasses a broader range of writing challenges. These include difficulties with spelling, grammar, punctuation, and organizing thoughts coherently. Children with this condition may write essays that are jumbled and hard to follow, frequently misspell common words, or produce written work that is significantly below the expected level for their age. For instance, your child might write a story where events are out of order or a paragraph lacking a clear main idea and supporting details.
Characteristics of a Specific Learning Disability (SLD) in
Written Expression
A Specific Learning Disability in Written Expression involves significant difficulties in various aspects of writing, which go beyond handwriting and fine motor skills.
We've created this checklist to help you identify if your child might have an SLD in Written Expression. It outlines common characteristics and provides real-life examples to illustrate these challenges. This guide can be an essential first step in recognizing the signs of an SLD in Written Expression and seeking the appropriate support for your child.
Here are the key characteristics, along with examples for each:
Problems Organizing Thoughts Coherently in Writing:
Challenges with writing an essay that has a clear structure and ideas presented are jumbled and confusing.
Example: When writing a story about a trip to the zoo, Jimmy's events were described out of order, making it hard to follow the narrative.
Frequent Grammatical and Punctuation Errors:
Struggles to write sentences that have correct grammar and punctuation.
Example: Mark wrote, "Yesterday we goed to the park it was fun." instead of "Yesterday, we went to the park. It was fun."
Poor Spelling:
Commonly misspells simple and familiar words, often in a way that phonetic rules do not explain.
Example: Peter spelled "beautiful" as "butiful" and "friend" as "friend."
Difficulty with Sentence Structure and Syntax:
Often writes sentences that are awkwardly structured or incomplete.
Example: Isabella wrote, "Me dog, he likes to play," instead of "My dog likes to play."
Inadequate Vocabulary Usage:
Uses a limited vocabulary and struggles to find the right words to express ideas.
Example: Christina repeatedly uses basic words like "good" or "nice" instead of more descriptive terms.
Lack of Content and Detail in Writing:
Produces writing that is overly brief and lacks detail, failing to develop ideas fully.
Example: Nicky wrote, "My vacation was fun," without elaborating on what made it enjoyable.
Difficulty with Writing Mechanics:
Struggles with the basic mechanics of writing, such as capitalization and punctuation.
Example: Diana often does not capitalize the first word of her sentence and fails to use periods correctly.
Avoidance of Writing Tasks:
Shows reluctance to engage in writing activities, often expressing frustration or anxiety.
Example: Madison frequently says, "I don't want to write," or takes a long time to start a writing assignment.
Disorganized Paragraphs:
Paragraphs lack a clear main idea and supporting details, leading to confusion.
Example: Andrew's paragraphs often jump from one idea to another without logical transitions.
Difficulty with Revising and Editing:
Struggles to revise and edit their work, failing to identify and correct errors.
Example: Alexis submitted a draft with multiple errors and little improvement from the initial version.
A Specific Learning Disability in Written Expression affects all parts of writing, including how your child thinks about and organizes their ideas.
Key Differences and Overlaps
Understanding the differences and overlaps between dysgraphia and SLD in Written Expression is crucial for identifying the proper support for your child. While dysgraphia is more focused on the physical difficulties of writing, SLD in Written Expression involves the cognitive aspects of writing, such as composition and structure. However, both conditions can co-exist, and a child may struggle with both the mechanics and the content of writing.
By recognizing the specific challenges your child faces, you can seek appropriate assessments and interventions. Occupational therapy, assistive technology, and specialized writing programs can make a significant difference. As you navigate this journey, remember that with the proper support, your child can develop their writing skills and gain the confidence they need to succeed.
If you think your child may have Dysgraphia or a Specific Learning Disability in Written Expression and struggling in school, and you're not sure what to do next, reach out to us at My Happy Teacher to learn more about how we can help.
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