New Research on Writing: What can 'Dysgraphia and Writing Instruction' tell us?
Reading skills are falling across the US. Combined with the long-term effects of remote schooling and pandemic learning loss, we’re entering a period where all eyes are on reading— but what of the other side of the literacy binary? A new research bank, Dysgraphia and Writing Instruction, might have some important answers to share.
Reading and writing skills are often seen by educators and those who work with learners as, to a point, complementary— although they use different skill bases, improvements in one often correlate to improvements in the other. And vice versa: a slump in writing skills could potentially impact learners by impeding their progress in reading skills to an extent, too.
Before we get into Dysgraphia and Writing Instruction— What is Dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia in its most recognisable form might mean that a learner experiences difficulties or differences when writing.
Professional opinions on the technical scope of dysgraphia differ, however. Some experts hone the definition to say that it occurs when a learner experiences difficulties or differences when it comes to transcription: handwriting, typing and spelling. They argue that it’s more to do with the logistical and motor skill side of writing.
Some, however, use the term ‘dysgraphia’ to encompass learners finding it challenging to express their thoughts in writing too, which others argue is separate neurodiversity, and a part of Written Expression Disorder (WED).
“Some are focused on motor skills and the physical aspect of handwriting. Others have a broader definition and include all aspects of writing - all of the processes that are needed to put a thought into words. As a community, we need to better solidify these definitions so that everyone is talking about the same thing.”
—Jennifer C. King Ph.D., Founder of Dysgraphia Life
What might Dysgraphia look like?
Dysgraphia, like dyslexia, manifests differently in different people. Common symptoms might include (but certainly aren’t limited to)…
Messy handwriting
Trouble forming/unformed letters
Problems spacing letters
Writing in a straight line/adhering to squares and boxes
Writing grammatically correct sentences
Difficulties establishing comfortable holds on writing implements
Aversion to writing activities/avoiding writing activities altogether
Problems reading back writing and deciphering own handwriting
Skipping letters when writing words and skipping words in a sentence
And for some experts, finding it challenging to express thoughts in writing
10 key data takeaways from Dysgraphia and Writing Instruction
Dysgraphia and Writing Instruction is a collaborative research effort from TextHelp, Don Johnston Inc. and Dysgraphia Life that brings together insights from over 200 school staff about the future of writing and neurodiversity in the US today.
99% of respondents categorized writing as an important or a very important skill when it comes to a student’s success in school.
Anywhere between 10% and 30% of learners in the US have dysgraphia, but educators opinions on what constitutes dysgraphia and Written Expression Disorder seem to shift between ‘difficulty expressing one’s ideas in writing’ (68%) and ‘difficulty with handwriting’ (66%).
61% of educators report to have students in their care who receive special education for ‘Specific Learning Disabilities in Written Education’
When asked what stops educators from being able to freely help and support those learners in their care who do have dysgraphia, respondents cited: bandwidth and money, focus on reading and math over writing, poor knowledge and identification of dysgraphia, a lack of writing specialists, and writing support being limited to learners with an IEP.
Only 47% of respondents said that they gave a specialist dedicated to teaching writing in their district…
And only 46% of respondents reported that their school or district had any processes in place to help assess a student’s writing ability.
The most common ways that schools were supporting learners who had dysgraphia were described as being offering extra time for written work, using graphic organizers, keyboarding and/or typing assessments as opposed to handwriting them, and voice typing (dictation).
Only 44% of respondents reported that their classroom had a policy where learners would not lose marks for handwriting.
Of the survey’s respondents, an overwhelming majority (48%) thought that assistive tech should be introduced to learners the moment that dysgraphia was identified, as opposed to in second grade (24%) and third or fourth grade (23%)
Only 3% of survey respondents feel that the advent of AI technology will definitely make writing a less important skill to learn.
Literacy— both the reading and the writing elements— opens doors. It’s a mechanism that allows learners to access the whole curriculum and go on to achieve, leave compulsory education for desired jobs and higher learning, and find fulfilling ways of earning and creating. When these skills take a dip, it’s not just the exam results that are compromised: it’s real-life learning futures, on a generational scale.
That’s why supporting neurodiversities like dyslexia and dysgraphia from the offset are so important… and why some of these survey responses might be worrying to educators who support those with writing differences, as many point to a lack of available resources and support.
You can find out more about what dysgraphia looks like in the US today at Dysgraphia Life— and as ever, for support for readers, writers, ELLs or those with literacy differences and neurodiversities like dyslexia, check out the C-Pen Reader 2 at Scanning Pens.