Dysgraphia · Kindergarten
Signs of Dysgraphia in Kindergarten
In kindergarten, children are just learning to hold a pencil and form letters, so some early difficulty is completely normal. But when writing stays far harder for your child than it seems to be for everyone else, it's worth understanding why.
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What to look for
What writing struggles can look like in kindergarten
- •An awkward or very tight pencil grip that doesn’t ease with practice
- •Real difficulty forming letters, even after plenty of modeling and repetition
- •Trouble writing their own name when most classmates have begun to manage it
- •Avoiding coloring, drawing, tracing, or any table activity involving a pencil
- •Letters that vary widely in size, shape, and direction on the same page
- •Frustration, fatigue, or complaints of a sore hand during short writing tasks
One of these on its own is rarely a concern. A cluster that persists across the school year is worth a closer look.
Why this stage matters
Why kindergarten is worth paying attention to
Handwriting difficulties are easy to dismiss at this age, because so much is still developing. But children who find letter formation genuinely hard often start avoiding writing altogether — and that avoidance compounds quickly once first grade brings daily written work. Understanding the underlying skills early means support can begin before writing becomes something your child dreads.
More than handwriting
What a dysgraphia evaluation looks at
An evaluation looks well beyond handwriting itself, at the motor, language, and thinking skills that written work depends on.
Every evaluation is individualized based on your child’s history, concerns, and profile — never a one-size-fits-all package.
The process
How the evaluation works
Consultation
We discuss concerns, history, and the questions you want answered.
Records review
We review school reports, records, and previous testing.
Testing
Two to three in-person testing sessions, about two hours each.
Interpretation
Dr. Duhning integrates and synthesizes the data.
Report
We meet virtually to review the findings, recommendations, and written report.
Roadmap
You leave knowing what your child needs and what to do next.
Wondering whether this is more than a phase?
An evaluation can clarify what’s making writing so hard — and what will actually help.
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