Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get my child tested?
If you ask your pediatrician's office they should be able to refer you to someplace local to you.

Can it be treated?
Treatment varies and may include treatment for motor disorders to help control writing movement. for early elementary age children might include writing readiness exercises, instruction and practice using appropriate pencil grip, formation of symbol skills, practice to increase fluency and direct instruction to improve writing organization.  what we found is that awareness is the key.  If you know your child is challenged in this way you can educate his/her teachers so they are aware.

What should I look for to know if my child might have Dysgraphia?
Some symptoms might include:

• poor handwriting (sloppy, illegible, poor spacing, inconsistent letter size, strays from lines on the paper)
• difficulty cutting with scissors and coloring inside lines
• unable to tie shoelaces, button clothes, or use hands well
• creates artwork that looks immature for age (drawings from imagination are usually better than copying efforts)
• experiences confusion in discriminating among letters, words and numbers
• produces erratic schoolwork (papers are messy, torn and crumpled with many smudges, erasures, and cross-outs)
• exhibits marked slowness, exceptional effort and frustration during writing tasks
• produces written efforts that are short and often incomplete
• has awkward pencil grip; experiences delays in learning to write
• clumsy and awkward in throwing and catching balls
• has difficulty skipping, hopping, and jumping

At what age will this leaning difficulty be noticeable?
Based on the above you should notice some of these symptoms as early as Pre-K and certainly by Kindergarten

Can my child overcome this?
Many people who have Dysgraphia have grown to have very productive and successful lives. 
The key is awareness so it can be managed.
Christopher was an “A” student at a private high school in spite of his Dysgraphia.

What consideration is given to children/adults who have Dysgraphia?
The college board recognizes Dysgraphia as a leaning disability and in certain cases will allow the student to use a computer for writing.
For more information, visit the College Board web site:  http://www.collegeboard.com/ssd/student/guidelines.html.

It took us several attempts and thousands of dollars in testing before we got the College Board to allow Christopher to use a computer.  Unfortunately Christopher never got to take advantage of the computer.