Dysgraphia Myths: What the Research Does and Doesn't Say

By Laura Lurns · Reviewed by Philip Weaver · Last reviewed 2026-10-02

Some of these beliefs have an answer in the research we hold. Some have an answer in our own view, and we say so. Others are not settled, and we say that too.

Beliefs we can answer

"Messy writing means they are not trying"

Calling messy writing "lazy" only means the effort has not met the right method yet. To us, writing that is hard can look careless from the outside. In our experience, once a child is called "lazy," what they do next gets read through that word.

That answer is ours, not a study's.

"Dysgraphia means the same thing to everyone"

Dysgraphia is a word for a pattern of trouble with handwriting, spelling, or getting thoughts onto paper. People use the word for different things.

Experts disagree on what the word means. The International Dyslexia Association places the trouble in handwriting, and sometimes spelling. A US psychiatric manual, the DSM, lists trouble with written expression under specific learning disorder. Its 2013 edition lists spelling, grammar and organizing ideas, not handwriting.

Our rule is to describe patterns on these pages. We do not put a name on a child.

"Dyspraxia is another word for dysgraphia"

Dyspraxia is not another name for dysgraphia. DCD stands for developmental coordination disorder. In the UK and Australia, dyspraxia is an everyday name for DCD (NHS, 2023; healthdirect, 2025). Both the NHS and healthdirect pages list writing among the signs of DCD.

Our page on dyspraxia and DCD has more.

"Hand exercises will fix handwriting"

Keep any hand or finger exercise alongside handwriting practice, not in place of it. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.

One review looked at help for school-age children with handwriting trouble (Hoy and colleagues, 2011). Help that left out handwriting practice did not work. Neither did help with too few practice sessions.

Our page on handwriting activities has more.

"There is one right way to hold a pencil"

In our view, there is no one correct grip. That is not the same as saying grip never matters. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it. One review calls the research on grip inconclusive (Schneider and colleagues, 2023).

Our page on pencil grip has more.

"Reversed letters mean dysgraphia"

We hold one reversal study (Brooks, Berninger and Abbott, 2011). We could read only its summary, so we use no figure from it. Reversals on their own are not a finding. Note them, and watch the handwriting and the spelling too.

"Teach to the way the child learns best"

Some people think each child has a preferred way of taking things in. On that idea, a child should be taught that way. A 2008 review found almost no evidence that matching teaching to learning styles helps. A 2024 review judged any gain too small and too rare to adopt widely.

"One handwriting program is the best"

One review looked at classroom handwriting programs for young children (Engel and colleagues, 2018). It found no clear support for one program over another. We name no handwriting program on this page.

Handwriting improves when it is taught and practiced.

"Left-handed children have worse handwriting"

Two studies compared left- and right-handed children's handwriting. They were by Vlachos and Bonoti (2004) and O'Mahony and colleagues (2008). Neither found a consistent speed gap between left- and right-handers. In Greece, Vlachos and Bonoti found no overall difference in how well children wrote. But left-handers made up more than their share of that study's weakest writers. We could read only the summaries. On this evidence, being left-handed does not explain poor handwriting. Look at the handwriting itself.

Beliefs the research we hold does not settle

The research we hold does not settle the beliefs below. We say what is known, and where it stops.

Not settled: "They will grow out of it"

We cannot tell you that. No study we have tests wait-and-see as a plan for a learning difficulty. So we would not tell you to wait. Keep teaching the writing while you watch.

Not settled: "Fix the handwriting first, and the writing will follow"

Handwriting practice makes handwriting better, but its effect on composing is not settled. Santangelo and Graham (2016) found gains in composing. A US federal panel, the What Works Clearinghouse, found few studies that measured writing quality. Those few found no evidence of a gain from handwriting and spelling practice. The panel still thinks it helps. So teach composing as well.

Work on handwriting, spelling and composing side by side.

Not settled: "Typing will make handwriting worse"

No study we hold tests whether a keyboard cuts into handwriting practice or handwriting growth. In our view, that is a reason to keep up the handwriting practice. It is not a reason to avoid the keyboard.

Two studies compared young children learning letters by hand or by keyboard. They were by Longcamp and colleagues (2005) and Kiefer and colleagues (2015). Both looked at learning letters, not handwriting quality. We could read only Longcamp's summary. We read Kiefer's full paper.

Our page on typing has more.

Not settled: "Cursive will fix it"

One study compared print, cursive and both in grade 2 classrooms in Québec (Morin and colleagues, 2012). Neither style was shown to be better. The children were not chosen for writing trouble. We hold no trial of cursive for children with dysgraphia. In our view, practice the style your child is being taught.

Not settled: "Schools don't teach handwriting any more"

One national US survey of primary-grade teachers came out in 2008 (Graham and colleagues, 2008). Most said they taught handwriting. We could read only its summary. We hold no national survey since then. So we cannot say how much is taught today.

If a belief has shaped what you do

In our view, some of these beliefs change what a family does. The laziness belief can leave a child thinking the problem is them. The grow-out-of-it belief can mean waiting instead of teaching. The hand-exercise belief can put hand exercises in place of handwriting practice. Handwriting improves most consistently with handwriting practice; motor work alone has not been shown to improve it.

Ask a smaller question. Which part of writing is hard right now? What is your child being taught about that part?

Work on handwriting, spelling and composing side by side.

When to ask for help

Each of these is a reason to ask for help on its own.

• Little change, even with steady practice and good teaching.
• Writing well below your child's other schoolwork.
• A teacher who raises a concern about writing.
• Extreme upset about writing.
• Complete avoidance of writing.
• Hopelessness about learning.
• Sadness or worry that lasts.
• Significant delays in speech, language or motor development.
• A skill that was there and has gone. Our position is that a lost skill goes to a doctor first, not a tutor.

If no skill has gone, start with the teacher. Say what you are seeing at home, and what you have tried. Beyond the teacher, the right person depends on what it turns out to be about. If the work is too hard, someone who works on that school skill. If worry or mood is the thing, someone who works with children's mental health. In our view, delays in speech, language or movement are worth raising with your child's doctor. In our view, if you are worried enough to ask, a professional evaluation is worth asking about.

Any talk of hurting themselves is a same-day call to your doctor or a crisis line.