Key takeaways
- Dysgraphia is a specific learning disorder in written expression: persistent, language-based difficulty getting thoughts, spelling and punctuation onto the page.
- The key word is persistent. Look for difficulties that stay after explicit teaching and targeted support, and for a gap between what a student can say and what they can write.
- The signs change with each stage of school. Painful or laborious handwriting can point to a motor coordination difficulty, which is assessed separately, so talk to learning support or an OT.
It's writing time in Year 4. One of your students gave the best answer in the class discussion this morning, full of detail and big ideas. Now the page in front of them holds two jumbled lines, the same word spelled three different ways, and a lot of rubbing out. When you ask how it's going, they say they're done.
So what are the signs of dysgraphia in the classroom? Dysgraphia is a specific learning disorder in written expression. Watch for persistent trouble recalling how letters are formed, the same word spelled different ways, jumbled word order and missing words, and written work that falls well short of what the student can tell you out loud. Students also tire quickly and avoid writing tasks. The key word is persistent: the difficulty stays even after explicit teaching and targeted support. A diagnosis comes from health professionals. Your role is to notice the pattern and share it with learning support.
These ideas come from Tammy McMillan, a Queensland-based special education teacher and inclusion educational consultant with teaching experience in Australia and overseas, and the founder of Share Shape and Shine. Tammy calls dysgraphia "the forgotten learning difference", because awareness lags well behind conditions like dyslexia. Tammy's course sets out to change that, starting with what to look for.
The ideas
- Know what dysgraphia is.It's a language-based difficulty with constructing meaningful, well-structured writing, along with ongoing trouble with spelling and punctuation. It affects a student's capacity to show their ideas, their knowledge and their thinking.
- Look for persistence.Some spelling and letter formation errors are expected as children learn. In Tammy's words, "The main focus word there is persistent." Ask yourself whether the gap is still there after explicit instruction, repetition and targeted intervention.
- Notice the gap between talking and writing.A student who explains a topic well in discussion, then produces jagged, confused writing on the same topic, is showing you something important.
- Read the behaviour as a clue.Class clowning, tears, shutting down and refusing to start can all be responses to how hard writing feels. As Tammy asks, "What is the function of these behaviours?"
- Separate painful handwriting from dysgraphia.A tight or painful grip and slow, laborious handwriting point to motor coordination difficulties, which health professionals assess separately from dysgraphia.
- Keep intelligence out of the picture.Tammy is emphatic: "Please scream it from the rooftops. Dysgraphia has no relationship to intelligence." Students with dysgraphia need extra time, support and exposure.
Supporting Students with DysgraphiaStart this course
How the definition has changed
If dysgraphia once meant "messy handwriting" to you, you're in good company. For years the term covered two different things: motor coordination difficulties that affect handwriting, and persistent difficulty expressing thoughts in writing.
The definition Tammy uses has since drawn a line between the two. The Dyslexia-SPELD Foundation explains that a specific learning disorder in written expression (dysgraphia) now refers to the language-based difficulties of building structured writing and ongoing weaknesses in spelling and punctuation. Persistent handwriting difficulties caused by motor coordination are understood as an aspect of developmental coordination disorder.
Handwriting still shows up in dysgraphia, though in a particular way. Tammy describes it as a recall difficulty. The student struggles to retrieve how a letter, number or shape is formed, how big it should be and how much space goes between words. The hand is willing; the memory of the form is hard to find.
Tammy also points out that writing asks a lot of the brain before a pencil touches paper. A student has to retrieve information from memory, organise it, and then begin physically writing. Difficulty at any of those steps shows up in the finished piece, which is why written work so often hides what a student with dysgraphia knows. Diagnosis sits with health professionals, using the DSM-5. Your part is noticing the pattern.
Signs of dysgraphia at each stage
Tammy notes that dysgraphia is hard to identify until children are learning to write, so it tends to surface in the early primary years and becomes more obvious as writing demands grow. Signs from earlier stages carry on into later ones.
| Stage | What you'll see in the writing | What you'll see in the student |
|---|---|---|
| Early and lower primary | Unusual letter, number and shape formation; letters inconsistently spaced and sized; lower and uppercase mixed up, even in familiar words like their own name; basic sentence structure, grammar and punctuation that stay shaky; spelling that's inconsistent, with letters left out or swapped | Avoidance or emotional responses to writing, such as off-task or class clown behaviour, crying or shutting down |
| Middle and upper primary | Stuck on one spelling choice for a sound (for example, always "oa" for the long o sound); the same word spelled different ways in one piece; jumbled word order and missing words; trouble with paragraph structure; a random mix of upper and lowercase, or print and cursive blended; shifts in verbs and pronouns | Strong in class discussion with written work that doesn't reflect it; trouble with dictation; slow to start writing tasks; tiring faster than peers, especially later in the day |
| High school | Writing that lacks detail and leaves out key facts; inconsistent word order; errors with prefixes, suffixes and base words; poor essay and paragraph structure, with ideas repeated; slow writing and note taking | Writing anxiety, such as feeling sick, sweaty palms, headaches and negative self-talk; disengagement; in some cases escalated behaviours or school refusal; low self-esteem |
One sign on its own isn't enough. Tammy is clear that a student avoiding a single writing task does not add up to dysgraphia. You're looking for a cluster of these signs that persists over time.
For dictation, Tammy suggests a simple check. Read a sentence aloud, ask the student to say it back to you, then ask them to write it. If they can repeat it accurately and the written version falls apart, you've learned where the difficulty sits.
It's worth knowing the strengths too. Tammy often sees students with dysgraphia who are strong listeners, creative problem solvers and insightful big-picture thinkers. Many grow into deeply empathetic young people, because they know first hand what a hard road feels like.
How to use this in your classroom this week
- Pick one writing task and compare. Ask a student you're curious about to tell you their ideas first, then write them. Note the difference between the two.
- Try the dictation check with your whole class, so nobody feels singled out.
- Track it over time. Jot down what you see across a few weeks and after your explicit teaching. Persistence is the signal.
- Look again at tricky behaviour during writing time. Ask what the behaviour is helping the student avoid.
- Talk to learning support when you see a cluster of signs that persists. Tammy reminds teachers that a student doesn't need a diagnosis before you start supporting them.
- If you're a relief teacher, you won't always know who has a diagnosis. Use the stage table as your guide, and leave the class teacher a note about anything you noticed.
Take it further with your students
Spotting the signs is the first step. In Supporting Students with Dysgraphia, Tammy moves on to what to do once you've seen them. Inside the course, you'll find:
- Tammy's "big three" focus areas of support for students with dysgraphia
- a full list of adjustments and accommodations for everyday learning, from how content is delivered to how students show what they know
- top tips for assessing students with dysgraphia fairly
- practical supports for students with motor coordination difficulties
- a live Q&A with teachers' questions, including adjustments for NAPLAN
If dysgraphia often sits alongside reading difficulties in your class, Supporting Students with Dyslexia, also with Tammy, is a natural next step. You'll find more courses on supporting every kind of learner in neurodiversity teacher PD.
Tammy's message for every teacher, classroom and relief alike, is a simple one: "See the area of need. We can support it."
Frequently asked questions
What is dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia is a specific learning disorder in written expression. It shows up as persistent, language-based difficulty organising ideas into structured writing, along with ongoing trouble with spelling and punctuation.
How do I know if a student's writing difficulty is dysgraphia?
Look for difficulty that persists after explicit teaching and targeted intervention, and for a gap between strong spoken ideas and weak written work. A diagnosis comes from health professionals, so your role is to notice the pattern and share what you see with learning support.
What are the signs of dysgraphia in high school?
Common signs include writing that lacks detail, poor essay and paragraph structure, slow writing and note taking, errors with prefixes, suffixes and base words, and anxiety or avoidance around writing tasks.
Why do students with dysgraphia avoid writing?
Getting their ideas onto paper is hard work, and they know what they want to say. Avoidance, class clown behaviour, tears or shutting down can all be a response to that difficulty.
What is the difference between dysgraphia and messy handwriting from motor difficulties?
Dysgraphia is about recalling and organising language, spelling and letter formation. Tight or painful pencil grip and slow, laborious handwriting caused by motor coordination are now understood as part of developmental coordination disorder.
Where can teachers learn more about supporting students with dysgraphia?
Supporting Students with Dysgraphia on ClassCover Learn, presented by special education teacher Tammy McMillan, covers the signs at each stage of school, the main areas of support and practical adjustments for class and assessment.
How much does the dysgraphia course cost?
Supporting Students with Dysgraphia is included in a ClassCover Learn membership, which costs $99 a year for 200+ hours of PD across every course.
