Peer-reviewed research
Disorder of written expression and dysgraphia: definition, diagnosis, and management
Peter J Chung and Dilip R Patel, Translational Pediatrics, 2020 · DOI 10.21037/tp.2019.11.01
Read the originalRead on October 16, 2026
- What it is
- A 2020 review by pediatric clinicians at the University of California, Irvine, that defines dysgraphia and specific learning disorder in written expression, describes how the condition appears at different ages, and summarizes how it is diagnosed and managed.
- How much weight it carries
- Peer-reviewed review article in an open-access journal, with a PubMed Central copy. A review summarizes other studies rather than testing a new group of people, and the authors note that dysgraphia is poorly understood and often undiagnosed.
Facts taken from this source
- Depending on the definitions used, 30 to 47 percent of children with writing problems also have reading problems, according to a 2020 clinical review.
“Depending on the definitions utilized, anywhere from 30% to 47% of children with writing problems also have reading problems.” (Co-morbidities)
- A 2020 clinical review says dysgraphia was historically defined as an impairment in producing written text, usually from poor muscle coordination, and that oral spelling was usually preserved.
“Historically, dysgraphia was most often defined as an impairment in the production of written text, usually due to a lack of muscle coordination. ... Oral spelling was usually preserved.” (Introduction)
- At its broadest, a 2020 clinical review says dysgraphia covers problems with letter formation, letter spacing, spelling, fine motor coordination, rate of writing, grammar and composition.
“At its broadest definition, dysgraphia is a disorder of writing ability at any stage, including problems with letter formation/legibility, letter spacing, spelling, fine motor coordination, rate of writing, grammar, and composition.” (Introduction: definitions and disagreement)
- In a 2020 review, dysgraphia and specific learning disorder in written expression are terms for people whose writing ability does not match their cognitive level and age, even after adequate instruction.
“are terms used to describe those individuals who, despite exposure to adequate instruction, demonstrate writing ability discordant with their cognitive level and age.” (Abstract)