A woman once contacted me asking for help recommending schools in her area that would be a good fit for her 9-year-old grandson who had been diagnosed with severe dysgraphia. I felt inspired to pass on here exactly what I advised him to help the many more (grandparent) parents who want the best for their severely affected children. I hope you will extract and put the value of this into action, and spread the word to those in need!

As soon as someone has been diagnosed the following happens: the word diagnosis stimulates the thought that the person diagnosed is sick or has something wrong with them and that’s the way it should stay forever and everyone else should fix it but not with he. So the content of the diagnosis [in this case severe dysgraphia] provides another psychological label. The danger of labels is that they impregnate the identity of the person diagnosed and provide a useful excuse [to the diagnosed person AND all persons around the diagnosed person] for not further questioning the condition and therefore not taking action. Once we are labeled as x, we have an instant explanation for many things and can continue to live smugly.

Don’t let this happen; dysgraphia is also one of those “conditions” that can be improved. That is how:

1. Do not mention labels in front of the child, this will prevent him from leading him to your identity and weakening him for the rest of his life. Don’t let labels block your impulse to take action to eradicate the condition.

2. People who have difficulty writing often believe that something is wrong with their brain or motor function in their arms or hands. This is a BELIEF that can be eradicated. Taking action instead of hiding behind diagnostic labels will eventually prove the belief invalid or ridiculous.

3. Train the person to use the visual skills they already have. People with learning difficulties related to literacy are always immensely visual!

EXERCISE 1: Ask the person to imagine their fridge at home, what color is the door, which way it opens, open it, look inside the fridge and tell you 3 things they can see. He/she will tell you not only that, but also where the 3 things are in the fridge. And with incredible passion and precision! Have fun with this!

EXERCISE 2: Ask him to tell you about his favorite sports team: what colors the players wear, what their jerseys look like, where their player names and numbers are located, etc. You will see how many details you will be able to report! If you are a fan of a different activity, go with what you are familiar with. I mention sport as an example to show you the principle. These 2 exercises will show you that their visual skills are EXCELLENT!

EXERCISE 3: Ask him to choose an object near him, for example a cup, and stare at it for 15 seconds, then close his eyes. When his eyes are closed, ask him to describe how much of the cup he sees in his imagination. You will see some. Then repeat the process and listen to how much more of the cup he will report seeing the second time. Do this process several times a day for several weeks with a different object each time. Make it a fun game so it’s fun for him to do it. This will sharpen your observation skills and your memory of him.

4. We have now established that the person’s visual abilities are fully operational. We are at a stage where he has been practicing all 3 exercises for several weeks and his observation skills will be much sharper. Now give him an object, for example, the cup, to draw with the eyes. [= to follow the shape of the cup with his eyes as if drawing it in his imagination] while looking at it. Once she can do it, ask her to draw it on a piece of paper. If you can, you’ve laid the foundation for successful writing. If she can’t, draw a very simple shape (for example, a star) on the paper, turn the page over, and ask her to copy exactly what she sees line by line. Encourage him to take his time. He will – very successfully!

5. Once you manage to copy the cup or star to a satisfactory stage [this may take a few attempts, but stick with it and give him time], you are ready to give him numbers to copy in exactly the same way: write the number on a piece of paper and turn it over. Let him copy it line by line. Numbers are simpler than letters, so once you get the hang of them, you’re ready for letters. Start with UPPERCASE LETTERS, because they are more distinctive than lowercase letters.

6. Once he can copy anything you give him, he will be able to write numbers and letters in groups of 2, 3 and 4, as well as syllables of words.

7. And the words will then follow easily.

8. VERY IMPORTANT POINT: When you start drawing anything on paper, place it on the wall at or slightly above the person’s eye level. This is because it will then process it in the visual field. NEVER let him write while holding the paper in his lap or near his mouth, because you would keep him in feelings that are likely to be negative. [e.g. “I can’t write”, or “I’m terrible at writing”, or “I hate writing”]. Always get it out of feelings. [his lap] and even his visual field [his eye level].

It is worth investing in large sheets of paper designed to be stuck on flipcharts. They look like huge post-it notes and can be stuck to a wall without marking it.