Dysgraphia

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Why it works

Dysgraphia is a specific learning difference affecting writing, which can involve difficulty with the physical act of handwriting (motor), spelling and transcription, and organizing and expressing thoughts in writing, and is real and neurological, not laziness or carelessness. Because so much of school requires writing, students with dysgraphia can appear to know less than they do, their ideas trapped behind the struggle to get them on the page. Supporting them means recognizing it, reducing the transcription burden (assistive technology like speech-to-text and typing, scribing, reduced copying), providing explicit instruction and accommodations, separating the assessment of ideas from the mechanics of writing, and building skills and confidence, so what they know can come through.

The research: Research on dysgraphia and writing difficulties.

The run-of-show

Choose your slot. The agenda, timings, and length update to match.

The core activity: free the ideas from the writing struggle

Teachers leave with ways to reduce the transcription burden and separate ideas from mechanics.

Recognize the signs of dysgraphia (handwriting, transcription, written expression).
Reduce the transcription burden (speech-to-text, typing, scribing, less copying).
Separate the assessment of ideas from writing mechanics.
Provide accommodations and build skills and confidence.

Separate the ideas from the mechanicsDysgraphia traps a student's ideas behind the struggle to write. Reduce the transcription burden, assess ideas separately from mechanics, and let what they know come through.

Facilitator notes

Recognize the signs, and reduce the transcription burden with tools.
Assess ideas separately from mechanics.
Accommodate and build confidence.

Judging dysgraphia students by their handwriting hides what they knowStudents with dysgraphia know more than their writing shows. Reduce the transcription burden and assess ideas separately from mechanics, so their knowledge comes through.

Adapt it

Elementary: reduce copying, tools, build skills, confidence.
Secondary: speech-to-text, typing, accommodations, confidence.
All settings: reduce transcription burden, separate ideas from mechanics.

Participant handout

One page for every teacher. Print it, or save it as a PDF.

K12 Academics · Professional Learning

Dysgraphia: free the ideas

Ideas over mechanics: reduce the transcription burden with tools, assess ideas separately, accommodate, build confidence.

The signs of dysgraphia I recognize:
How I reduce the transcription burden (speech-to-text, typing, scribing):
How I separate the assessment of ideas from writing mechanics:
The accommodations and confidence-building I provide:
A student who may need this support:

Make it stick

Free the ideas:

Free the ideas from the writing struggle.
Separate ideas from mechanics.
Bring a dysgraphia support that helped to the team.

Common questions

What is dysgraphia?

A specific learning difference affecting writing, the physical act of handwriting, spelling and transcription, and expressing thoughts in writing, that is real and neurological, not laziness or carelessness.

Why do these students seem to know less than they do?

Because so much of school requires writing, and dysgraphia traps their ideas behind the struggle to get them on the page. Separate the ideas from the mechanics so what they know comes through.

How do I support a student with dysgraphia?

Reduce the transcription burden (speech-to-text, typing, scribing, less copying), give explicit instruction and accommodations, assess ideas separately from writing mechanics, and build skills and confidence.