Dysgraphia Testing Richmond, Charlottesville, Harrisonburg
What is Dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia is like Dyslexia’s cousin, it’s a learning disability but in writing. Most of the time, when people think about Dysgraphia, they think about sloppy handwriting, but the truth is, there are a lot of ways and reasons that people struggle to write well—wait, let me re-phrase that—to write good enough. I mean, just think about the complex task of writing—you need to think about what you want to say, you need to organize it, you need to write (or type) out those words one-by-one, letter-by-letter, and all the while, you’re paying attention to capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and more. That’s a pretty tall task. So, a lot can go wrong as students develop as writers—let me name just a few.
Let’s start with spelling. Over the past years, a lot of people have downplayed spelling—they say that it’s not that important, that older students use spell-checkers all the time, they were a bad speller but are getting by just fine, et cetera, et cetera. Their main point: we don’t have to worry about students who struggle with spelling and we don’t really need to focus on spelling. That just doesn’t sit right with me, and here’s why. When students can spell a lot of words automatically, without much effort or thought, then they have more energy and brainpower left to focus on all those other aspects of writing—like organizing what they want to say, sequencing it, paying attention to capitalization and punctuation, and more. But when students can’t spell many words automatically, when they need to slow down and sound out many words, then they struggle to focus on all those other aspects of writing. The bottom line: spelling matters. And students with poor spelling are at risk for developing Dysgraphia.
I know this one is obvious, but many students struggle to write because of poor fine motor skills. Physically writing is just plain harder for them. It’s hard for them to write letters with consistent shape, size, and orientation. It’s hard for them to space letters both within the same word and between words. Writing is sloppy, labored, and oftentimes these students avoid writing or just write the bare minimum to get by. Why? Writing is hard work for them. It’s cognitively taxing. Think about writing a paragraph about your favorite game. Now think about doing that with your left hand. Not pretty—at least if you’re right-handed.
And there’s more reasons that students struggle to write, a lot more. And that’s why we complete Dysgraphia testing—to understand those reasons. Because the truth is this: oftentimes students with Dysgraphia have two or more weaknesses that explain their struggles in writing. Because—as is often the case with learning disabilities—a weakness in one area can typically be overcome with good teaching and good effort. But, when two or more weaknesses are present, these typically won’t suffice, and often students need more explicit, direct, and expert instruction.
Who diagnoses dyslexia?
Psychologists diagnose Dysgraphia. And that’s really it. Now, there’s a lot of psychologists out there, and my recommendation—if you’re considering an evaluation—is to go to someone with good experience. Experience in the schools, experience testing, experience writing reports in a way that parents and teachers can understand. And sure, you might have other questions, like whether you should get a neuropsychological evaluation, or whether you should ask for an evaluation through the public schools. Either way, I’d be happy to chat for a few minutes or answer a question or two over email.
What are signs of Dysgraphia?
Perhaps the biggest three risk factors for Dysgraphia include poor spelling, poor and/or labored handwriting, and attention problems. Yes, it’s common for students with ADHD to have difficulty with writing. In total nearly 50% of students with ADHD also have a learning disability. And, because writing demands such intense attention and multi-tasking, it’s never surprising to me when a student with ADHD also struggles to write. Especially as they grow older, as writing tasks become longer, and as they’re expected to plan and organize more and more.
Unfortunately, Dysgraphia often goes undiagnosed. And there are a few reasons for that. First of all, starting in kindergarten, most schools and educators put a BIG focus on reading development. Not that this is bad, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of writing. In all the elementary schools I’ve worked at, there’s only been a small fraction that have supported struggling writers—and even when they did, it was only a student here and another student there. It was rare. And, think what you want to think about end-of-year state testing. But, here’s more proof that writing isn’t a priority in Virginia schools. The first year that Virginia students take an end-of-year standardized writing test—eighth grade. Yes, eighth grade. Reading and math start in third grade. So, if you or your child are struggling to write, it’s never too late or too early to at least ask questions—could this be Dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia testing for adults, teens, and kids
Dysgraphia testing includes two parts: testing academic skills and testing cognitive or thinking skills. This last part, testing cognitive skills, is really the bread-and-butter of the evaluation. Why? Because oftentimes we know that a student is struggling in writing, but cognitive testing helps us understand why. Testing usually includes two in-person sessions of three to four hours. Yes, that’s a lot of time, so we take plenty of breaks (especially for our younger students). Additionally, it’s important for me to get information from both parents and teachers (when appropriate).
Other questions about testing
Have questions about the evaluation process, or are you ready to schedule an appointment? You can call, email, or fill out a contact form here? Curious about the cost of a Dysgraphia evaluation? Check out my fees page. Know that we have offices in Richmond, Charlottesville, and Harrisonburg.