Dyslexia and Dysgraphia 

Dyslexia is another learning disorder that can impact reading, spelling, and writing. Dyslexia can negatively impact learning across the lifespan. Dyslexia often runs in families because it is linked to genes. If your parents or siblings have dyslexia, you have a higher probability of having it. When someone has dyslexia, a certain part of the brain is not functioning properly. When children learn to read, they learn that letters have sounds and are taught to sound out the letters. Those with dyslexia have difficulty recognizing the sound that goes with the letter. They may struggle to identify and/or manipulate the sound of a spoken word. They often have deficits in word recognition. Many times their reading fluency and reading comprehension skills are also negatively impacted. 

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Dysgraphia is a type of learning disability that impacts someone's fine motor skills and their ability to write. This learning disability can prevent an individual from writing legibly, and can negatively impact their ability to spell, plan/organize written information, and put their thoughts on paper.  It may be surprising to know that writing uses a complex set of skills. Just because your child has poor penmanship does not necessarily mean they have dysgraphia. Rather, a constellation of symptoms suggests that dysgraphia may be an appropriate diagnosis. Some signs of dysgraphia may include, but are not limited to, poor pencil grip, illegible handwriting, spelling and grammatical errors, and avoidance of writing.

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