College | Dysgraphia Life (2024)

Once you are there:

Figure out your classes. By now, you may have already thought about what you want to study but your school probably also has course requirements outside of your area of study. Unless you already have decided to focus on computer science, math, engineering, or other physical sciences, writing is often a big part of college.

If there are courses that have a lot of writing requirements, get support early. Talk to the access and disability services office about getting a notetaker or about recording lectures. Talk to your professor about getting copies of lecture slides, if he or she hasn’t given them out already. There are resources to help with papers/essays that can help you get organized too.

In addition to disability services, most schools offer help to all students who want to improve their studying, writing, and note-taking skills. Your school may offer peer-mentoring or academic skills tutors, study skills classes, and other seminars that can help all students learn better. Don’t be afraid to use them!

College | Dysgraphia Life (2024)

FAQs

Can people with dysgraphia go to college? ›

Students with dysgraphia or dyslexia in college may have significant difficulty earning good grades. Taking notes, reading assigned texts, and finishing exams may present as challenges. Unprepared learners and those without accommodations may fail courses and drop out of school.

What is dysgraphia? ›

Dysgraphia is a neurological condition and learning difference in which someone has difficulty with writing for their age level. This can range from issues with the physical act of writing to issues with translating thoughts into written words.

What is dislexia? ›

Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that primarily affects the skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling. Characteristic features of dyslexia are difficulties in phonological awareness, verbal memory and verbal processing speed.

Is dysgraphia a form of ADHD? ›

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that sometimes accompanies ADHD and affects writing skills, handwriting and spelling.

Does ADHD affect your handwriting? ›

Handwriting difficulties are common in children with attention deficient hyperactive disorder (ADHD) and have been associated with lower academic achievement and self-esteem [1–3]. Teachers report that the handwriting of both boys and girls with ADHD is immature, messy, and illegible.

What triggers dysgraphia? ›

What causes dysgraphia? If dysgraphia appears in childhood, it's usually the result of a problem with orthographic coding. This is an aspect of working memory that allows you to permanently remember written words, and the way your hands or fingers must move to write those words.

Is dysgraphia neurodivergent? ›

Unless there is co-occurring dyslexia (which is common), dysgraphic people can read fluently. It is a form of innate neurodivergence, which means that the underlying brain differences that may lead to a diagnosis of dysgraphia are present from birth.

Does dysgraphia qualify for IEP? ›

Individual Education Programs, known as IEPs, are legal documents that are required by the IDEA Act. Children/teens with dysgraphia can qualify for IEPs under the category of "specific learning disability in written expression." Either school professionals or parents can request that a child be evaluated.

Are there any famous people with dysgraphia? ›

Agatha Christie – Christie was the most famous mystery novelist of her time and developed a rich writing style that has impacted almost every mystery writer of the 20th and 21st centuries. Christie had dysgraphia, a learning disability that affected her ability to understand written words.

At what age is dysgraphia diagnosed? ›

Early signs, symptoms, and causes of dysgraphia

Dysgraphia can occur as a result of developmental differences or after experiencing a traumatic brain injury, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms usually emerge in children as soon as they start learning to write but can present at any age.

Can I be slightly dyslexic? ›

As each person is unique, so is everyone's experience of dyslexia. It can range from mild to severe, and it can co-occur with other specific learning difficulties. It usually runs in families and is a life-long condition.

Is 1 in 5 students dyslexic? ›

It is one of the most common learning disabilities to affect children. Myth: Dyslexia is rare. Fact: In the United States, NIH research has shown that dyslexia affects 20%, or 1 in every 5 people. Some people may have more mild forms, while others may experience it more severely.

Is dyslexia a form of autism? ›

A: While both autism and dyslexia are neurodevelopmental disorders, they are distinct conditions with different core symptoms. There is no direct causal connection between autism and dyslexia, but they may co-occur in some individuals.

What does dysgraphia look like in adults? ›

Symptoms of dysgraphia at home might look like: Highly illegible handwriting, often to the point that even you can't read what you wrote. Struggles with cutting food, doing puzzles, or manipulating small objects by hand. Uses a pen grip that is “strange” or “a*wkward”

Which disability does dysgraphia show? ›

Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder of written expression that impairs writing ability and fine motor skills. It is a learning disability that affects children and adults, and interferes with practically all aspects of the writing process, including spelling, legibility, word spacing and sizing, and expression.

What it looks like to have dysgraphia? ›

Kids with dysgraphia have unclear, irregular, or inconsistent handwriting, often with different slants, shapes, upper- and lower-case letters, and cursive and print styles. They also tend to write or copy things slowly. Parents or teachers may notice symptoms when the child first begins writing assignments in school.

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