Outside of the Box Children -Understanding Dysgraphia: Types, Symptoms and How to Help

Understanding Dysgraphia: Types, Symptoms and How to Help Writing is a hard task for many students. Students with poor or illegible handwriting, difficulty getting their thoughts on paper, difficulty with letter formation and difficulty with spelling may have a form of the neurological disorder known as Dysgraphia, with “Dys” meaning difficulty and “graphia” meaning writing. These students may avoid writing tasks, become frustrated during writing activities and may become overwhelmed with the whole writing process. Contributing factors we will discuss are eye tracking, core stability, fine motor skills, visual perception, motor planning, and language processing, among others. Come and learn about the types of Dysgraphia, the foundations and components of handwriting and ways to help the struggling child. Bring your questions and join Kathy Nicholson, an occupational therapist with From the Heart Therapy Services, certified in Sensory Integration assessment and therapy with more than 40 years of experience in pediatrics, both in clinic treatment and school-based consultation as we explore the reasons behind struggles with written expression and how you can help your child. Whether your child has been diagnosed with special needs or has particular challenges yet to be identified; whether they are spirited, struggle with reading or writing, or have sensory issues; whether they have learning, emotional, or behavioral differences, or fall into the quirky kid category, we’ll explore the means to help you help your child here in the Westlake area with monthly guest speakers and parent discussions. This series is targeted toward parents of children throughout Eanes ISD, whether in public, private, or home schooling, and is open to everyone. Some past presentations are available on the Westbank Library YouTube Channel.