Understanding learning disability of dysgraphia

Dysgrahia, a writing disability, is a neurological or a nervous system (brain-related) condition that affects adversely the fine motor skills needed for a child to write appropriately. At times, it is referred to as an impairment that signals age-grade deficit in writing skills and written expression. At times, this learning disability may occur concurrently with discalculia, ADHD and dyslexia despite the child having an average or above average IQ on shown by culture-neutral perforce tests.

Some common symptoms of dysgraphia are as follows.

o   Cramped, strained or wrong tripod grasp on writing utensils
o   Difficulty spacing or placing things or putting marks on paper or within margins / poor spatial planning
o   Frequent erasing of drawn shapes or codes during copying 
o   Inconsistency in letter spacing in spelling and word spacing in a sentence
o   Poor spelling and grammar skill characterized by missing letters, writing a word partially,  missing words in a sentence 
o   Sores in dominant hand and fingers due to forced activities meant for pre-school normal children
o   Unusual wrist, body, or paper / writing surface position while writing

A rapid diagnosis can be done by asking the child to copy the stick figure of running person or a sentence like “I am a good child” and recording direct observations regarding the symptom. For children with dysgraphia, IQ test is optional.