Glossary
Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction. It can affect letter formation, spacing, spelling, writing speed and composition, and speech to text lets a person get their words onto the page without writing each letter by hand.
Updated October 16, 20264 cited facts, each traced to its source
Dysgraphia is a difficulty with writing that does not match a person's ability. A 2020 clinical review describes dysgraphia and specific learning disorder in written expression as terms for people whose writing ability is discordant with their cognitive level and age, even though they have had adequate instruction 1. The term describes the writing, so a person's knowledge of the subject can be strong while the text on the page is not.
Dysgraphia covers more than messy handwriting
At its broadest, the review says dysgraphia covers problems with letter formation and legibility, letter spacing, spelling, fine motor coordination, rate of writing, grammar and composition 2. Many people picture only the first item, neat handwriting. The rest of the list covers spelling, grammar and speed, which a neat page can hide.
Example: slow handwriting limits what a student can write
A student might know the answer to a question and still produce only a few lines, because forming each letter takes effort. A 1990 study found that fourth grade students with learning disabilities, composing by hand, averaged 4 to 5 words per minute, well below their copying speed 3. When the writing itself is slow, less attention is left for planning and wording.
Dictation takes the letters out of the task
Speech to text lets a student say the sentence and have it appear as text. The student then edits with the keyboard or with voice commands. In a 1995 study of university students with learning disabilities, essays written with a speech recognition system received significantly higher scores than essays written without assistance 4.
These studies recruited students with learning disabilities, not people with dysgraphia alone. They support trying dictation as an accommodation. They do not show that it will suit every student, and a clinician or teacher should assess the difficulty.
Why it matters for dictation and typing
Dysgraphia is about the writing act, so the tool that helps depends on where the difficulty lies. If the problem is forming letters, typing or dictation removes most of that effort. If the problem is spelling or grammar, a speech to text tool may still make errors that need checking, so the writer must read the text back. For spoken words that the software does not recognize, the custom vocabulary feature can help.
Related terms
- Assistive technology (AT): the devices and software that can support writing.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP): the US special education plan in which an IEP team must consider assistive technology.
- Dictation: speaking so that software writes your words.
Guides that cover it
Evidence
Every number on this page, with where it comes from. Open a fact to see the exact words in its source.
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- 4.In a 1995 study of 29 university students with learning disabilities, essays written with a speech recognition system received significantly higher holistic scores than essays written without assistance.
Eleanor L. Higgins and Marshall H. Raskind, Learning Disability Quarterly (ERIC record EJ516141), 1995 · Original
Related terms
- Speech to Text for Accessibility, RSI and DisabilitiesThe topic this term belongs to
- Access to WorkAccess to Work is a UK government grant for people with a disability or health condition who need support to do their job. GOV.UK says it can help pay for specialist equipment and assistive software, among other support, and that the grant does not affect other benefits and does not have to be paid back.
- Assistive technology (AT)Assistive technology (AT) is any item, piece of equipment or product system that increases, maintains or improves what a person with a disability can do. Speech recognition, voice control and screen readers are common examples.
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a clinical practice area that supplements or compensates for impairments in speaking or understanding language. It uses tools such as picture boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices, and it is augmentative when used alongside speech and alternative when used instead of speech.
- CART captioningCART captioning is a live text service in which a trained captioner types what is said, usually on a stenotype machine, and the words appear on a screen as they are spoken. CART stands for Communication Access Realtime Translation, and it is also called real-time captioning.
- De Quervain's tenosynovitisDe Quervain's tenosynovitis is a painful condition in which tendons that move the thumb become irritated where they pass through a narrow tunnel on the thumb side of the wrist. Repeated thumb and wrist movements, such as texting, can worsen it.
- Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) is UK government support for students with a disability, mental health problem or long-term illness, to cover study costs that come from the condition. It depends on individual needs rather than household income, and it does not have to be paid back.
- DysarthriaDysarthria is a speech disorder that happens when brain or nerve damage changes the way the muscles used for speaking work, so speech can sound slow, slurred or hard to understand. Speech recognition trained on typical voices can make more errors with this speech, so accuracy depends on the person and the software.
- Individualized Education Program (IEP)An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement for a child with a disability, developed, reviewed and revised under the federal IDEA regulations. For US students, it is the school's plan for the special education and services the child needs, and the team must consider whether the child needs assistive technology.
- Median nerveThe median nerve is one of the main nerves of the arm. It runs from the forearm through the wrist into the hand, giving feeling and movement to parts of the hand.
- Reasonable accommodationA reasonable accommodation is a change to the job, the workplace or the equipment that lets a qualified person with a disability do the work. Under U.S. law, employers with 15 or more employees must provide one unless it would impose an undue hardship.
- Repetitive strain injury (RSI)Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is an umbrella term for pain and damage to muscles, tendons and nerves that builds up from repeated movements, held postures or sustained effort, felt in the hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck.
- Screen readerA screen reader is software that reads what is on a computer or phone screen aloud, or sends it to a braille display, so that people who are blind or have low vision can use the device. The most used screen readers on Windows are JAWS and NVDA, and VoiceOver is the one built into Apple devices.