Dyspraxia and Handwriting Difficulties: Understanding the Link to Dysgraphia & Dyslexia

Although poor manual dexterity is frequently diagnosed together with dysgraphia or dyslexia, it is not a sign of either but of a separate issue, dyspraxia. Dysgraphia, a problem with processing information sequentially, manifests as handwriting problems. Dyslexia, another problem processing sequential information, causes difficulty reading.

Misconceptions

• The ability to hold a pen is a fine motor skill requiring manual dexterity.

  Parents, teachers and even doctors may wrongly identify reading and writing problems as manual dexterity issues, rather than as information comprehension problems. With the exception of motor dysgraphia, which is related to manual dexterity, poor manual dexterity is not a symptom of dyslexia or dysgraphia.

Diagnosis

• Children who have dyslexia, dyspraxia and dysgraphia have trouble doing schoolwork.

  Parents and teachers are often the first to notice children having difficulty completing schoolwork. School psychologists, clinical psychologists, developmental psychologists and occupational therapists are all trained to diagnose these learning disabilities. The process may involve testing and observation by a specialist to identify specific signs and symptoms.

Stress-Related Illness

• Stress-related illness is a common symptom of manual dexterity, dysgraphia and dyslexia. Because of difficulty with school or professional work, both children and adults with these disabilities commonly suffer from stress.