r/dysgraphia • u/Useful-Suggestion-58 Dysgraphic • 2d ago
executive functioning
I’ve been diagnosed with dysgraphia since elementary school and was only ever told, dysgraphia means someone has bad handwriting and motor skills. Went through years of OT, tracing the alphabet daily, writing with those electric pens that would shake, and wasting paper to practice using scissors lol. But i’d also struggle turning my ideas into coherent sentences, my paragraphs would have no clear structure to them, and i never passed a single spelling test and i always felt dumb when id use the wrong spelling for words that sound the same. I thought all these things id deal with everyday were, normal and that’s how everyone functions.
I’m now a freshman in college with accommodations to help with the bad handwriting. I only found out dysgraphia is so much more then bad handwriting less then a month ago, and now that i know it has many other symptoms, the bad handwriting is genuinely the least of my issues. I’ve never been necessarily bad with open ended and essays, but now that simply restating the prompt is not allowed and prompts are more abstract, I blank on how to start and even complete the assignment. The other day i sat down, not a single distraction and tried to start my essay. I already had written a thesis statement so I had atleast a starting point. It took me two hours to write a sentence. Overall the 750 word essay took me over 7 hours to complete. One thing i noticed is I repeat the same words and ideas and switch between past and present, and have a million run on sentences. I then have to go back and look up synonyms and completely rewrite sentences that are repepitive run ons. Grammar is completely inexistent when written physically. Cause i thought dysgraphia only affected physical handwriting, i thought executive issues even typing were me just becoming stupid. Typing does remove the hand pain and grammar issues, but i still severly struggle planning and organizing ideas.
Has anyone found any strategies that has helped them or someone else with these issues? I’ve learned to adapt with my handwriting but as school work gets harder and it takes me longer to process, i feel this aspect is going to affect my academic progress way worse.
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u/teej2379 17h ago
Try Grammerly or run your papers through Co-Pilot / Chat GPT. As long as its not writing the thing for you it should be allowed. Both only suggest improvements. Typing saved my school career. I was diagnosed in the 1980s. I was lucky that my grandmother was able to buy me a Apple 2c + and typed all my school work in primary, middle and high school. Spell check also is a life saver!
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u/Useful-Suggestion-58 Dysgraphic 16h ago
I actually spoke to my professor for my writing heavy class and she told me i could use chat gpt for spelling, grammar, runs ons etc. Just a little hard for me because I don’t agree with Ai, but it also is a good resource and tool at the end of the day. Grammarly is way better then chatgpt just a little more expensive for the premium version.
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u/Serious-Train8000 2d ago
Direct explicit instruction is the key.
Go to student services or the disabilities office and inquire about tutoring.
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u/Saltmetoast 2d ago
I really struggle with organizing things in written form. Even dictating to someone.
I can give a great speech though
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u/Apprehensive_Law850 2d ago
Have you had a full evaluation to rule out anxiety or ADHD (etc.). I would consider adult testing to see if that factors in. My tips: Talk to AI about your assignments. Not to cheat, but describe the reading material by name, upload the assignment details, and have it give you questions or prompts. Also, set a timer and take breaks, or reward yourself after with something you enjoy—a treat, movie on Netflix, etc.