Characteristics and Consequences of Dysgraphia

The characteristics of dysgraphia include the following:

• Variably shaped and poorly formed letters

• Excessive erasures and cross-outs

• Poor spacing between letters and words

• Letter and number reversals beyond early stages of writing

• Awkward, inconsistent pencil grip

• Heavy pressure and hand fatigue

• Slow writing and copying with legible or illegible handwriting (Andrews & Lombardino, 2014)

The observable written expression characteristics are most often associated with the following cognitive skill deficits:

• Impaired feedback the brain is receiving from the fingers

• Weaknesses using visual processing to coordinate hand movement and organize the use of space

• Problems with motor planning and sequencing

• Difficulty with storage and retrieval of letter forms (Levine, 1999)

Additional secondary consequences of dysgraphia may also include:

• Difficulty with unedited written spelling

• Low volume of written output as well as problems with other aspects of written expression

Dysgraphia is not:

• Evidence of a damaged motor nervous system

• Part of a developmental disability that has fine motor deficits (e.g., intellectual disability, autism, cerebral palsy)

• Secondary to a medical condition (e.g., meningitis, significant head trauma, brain trauma) • Association with generalized developmental motor or coordination difficulties (Developmental Coordination Disorder)

• Impaired spelling or written expression with typical handwriting (legibility and rate) (Berninger, 2004)