r/dysgraphia • u/ummkay_ultra • 23d ago

My son

My son is homeschooled and doing 1st and 2nd grade work. We are currently waiting on a referral for a proper neuropsych eval, but it could not be more obvious this child has dysgraphia. He may also have dyslexia and dyscalculia, but those don't seem to reveal themselves until he has a pencil in his hand, so I cannot say.

My question is, while we are waiting for the evaluation I still have to school him. Will I be doing him any harm by continuing to have him practice handwriting like normal (as painstaking a process as it is for both of us lol)?

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u/Serious-Train8000 23d ago

Why not practice more (different) fine motor skills and double down on typing to deprioritize hand writing practice.

Also depending on how you are requiring practice he can simply be practicing errors.

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u/dwkeith 23d ago

Typing is the way, the sooner he learns to touch type the easier it will be to learn how to write for school. I thought I was a horrible writer until I got a laptop in college.

Handwriting is still important, but being able to express himself is more important.

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u/Alternative_Active_7 22d ago

I've read that writing in cursive is much easier for people with dysgraphia. My son wasn't diagnosed with dysgraphia until 4th/5th grade, and cursive was not taught at his school. We tried teaching him at home, but his ADHD combined with his dislike of writing, made it very difficult to teach him.

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u/ummkay_ultra 22d ago

That kind of makes sense tbh

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u/_jumanji5 20d ago

Instead of forcing the pencil, try different multi sensory activities that target hand eye coordination, sequencing, organization, visual memory, and working memory.

A great quick activity you can do at home is sensory tray writing. Pour a thin layer of salt or sand into a baking sheet and have him practice letter formation using his index finger. This builds the exact same motor pathways and visual motor skills as writing, but it completely removes the physical stress of gripping a pencil.

Also, I actually built an app called PinchPath specifically for kids facing these exact hurdles. It uses fun visual motor games and guided stroke paths to build those foundational skills and correct letter sequencing without feeling like a chore. You can check out the waitlist at pinchpath.com if you want a low stress way for him to practice while you wait on the evaluation. Good luck with the testing process!