How is dysgraphia addressed in an IEP?

Understanding Dysgraphia at School

Students with dysgraphia may struggle with letter formation, spacing, spelling, organizing ideas on paper, or producing written work at grade pace. These difficulties can look like carelessness unless the team examines writing skills directly. Dysgraphia often co-occurs with dyslexia or ADHD, but it needs its own look at writing demands.

What Evaluation Should Examine

Ask for assessment of handwriting, spelling, written expression, fine motor needs, and how writing problems affect classwork and tests. Occupational therapy evaluation may be appropriate for motor components, while academic evaluation addresses written expression and spelling.

• Handwriting speed and legibility
• Spelling and encoding
• Written organization and sentence production
• Fatigue during extended writing
• Keyboarding or assistive technology needs

Instruction and IEP Goals

Supports may include explicit handwriting or keyboarding instruction, structured writing strategies, and spelling intervention. Goals should be measurable—legibility, words written, use of a graphic organizer, or independent keyboarding—not only “improve writing.”

Accommodations and Assistive Technology

Common supports include speech-to-text, typing instead of handwriting, reduced copying, graphic organizers, spelling tools when appropriate, extended time, and alternatives to handwritten essays for demonstrating knowledge. Ask for an assistive technology consideration if writing access is a barrier.

Making Supports Work Across Classes

Writing demands appear in every subject. Confirm that science, history, and electives implement the same access supports. Ask how substitutes learn the accommodations and how progress is monitored beyond English class.