dysgraphia

An evaluation can be done by a devlopmental pediatrician, a psychologist, or through a neuropsychological evaluation by a pediatric neurologist with expertise in LD. The first or last options might be best for dysgraphia. There are many causes of writing difficulty and some of them may involve diagnosis of a medical condition such as developmental coordination disorder. Any such diagnosis will require someone skilled in determining the source of the difficulty, which could range from fine motor problems, to dyslexia. Are you near a university or a childrens’ hospital? You might find someone that way. I hope this helps.

Andrea

Vision issues can also affect writing.

If there are fine motor or motor coordination issues in general interactive metronome or occupational therapy can help.

I think my 13 yr old daughter has dysgraphia, would our family doctor be the first one to talk to about this? I don’t want to get the school involved unless I have to.

That is a good place to start, but your family doctor is probably not a good choice to do an actual evaluation. Ask him or her for a referral to an appropriate person. Be aware that such evaluations can be very expensive and sometimes insurance will not cover them.

Andrea

I can’t officially diagnose, but I *can* offer help. I have answered questions about dysgraphia and teaching handwriting many times. In order to avoid posting the same darned thing every week, I’ve saved down several of my answers and will gladly send them to you; just email me and remind me what you need.