Classroom Accommodations for Dysgraphia, and a Better Solution

Educators strive to support all students, including those with learning disabilities like Dysgraphia. In most regions of the world, documents like Individual Educational Plans (IEPs) give educators the recommended accommodations to support these students.

These accommodations generally serve to alleviate the impact of the difficulties by working around the symptoms of the issue. Dysgraphia, the focus point of this blog, is most commonly managed through extended time on assignments, the use of technology, or simplifying tasks. 

While these accommodations can offer some temporary relief to the learning struggle, they do not offer a long-term solution.

They also aren’t the only option. The reality is, learning disabilities, which you can learn more about in our Guide to Learning Disabilities, are deeply connected to our brain’s cognitive functions. Instead of temporary fixes, educators can meet these students’ needs directly - by strengthening the core cause of the learning issues in the first place, through targeted neuroplasticity.

Addressing cognitive weaknesses through brain-based programs enables students to overcome their learning disabilities, and experience increased confidence, better academic performance, and a deeper joy in learning.

So, how can you achieve this for your students with Dysgraphia, and how can the accommodations approach be replaced? Let’s take a deeper dive into Dysgraphia, the conventional accommodations, and a more enduring solution to improving student results.

What is Dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that primarily affects a person’s ability to write. Students with Dysgraphia often struggle with handwriting, spelling, and organizing their thoughts on paper. These difficulties are not simply due to a lack of practice or effort but stem from the brain’s unique cognitive profile.

Our cognitive functions - processes related to memory, problem solving, comprehension, and others - are responsible for everything we do. When a particular function is underperforming, tasks related to that function - writing in the case of Dysgraphia - become significantly more difficult. In students with Dysgraphia, it’s commonly weaknesses in the brain's motor functions or visual spatial processing leading to messy handwriting, poor spelling, or an inability to express ideas clearly through written words.

Dysgraphia doesn’t look the same for everyone. Each individual’s cognitive profile is unique, and the severity and very specific struggles of Dysgraphia can vary. For some, it may manifest as difficulty with fine motor control, making handwriting and reading a challenge. For others, the primary struggle may be with spelling or organizing thoughts coherently. Understanding this variability is key to addressing the needs of each student effectively.

If you’d like a customized report identifying what cognitive functions may be contributing to your student’s Dysgraphia, the Arrowsmith Cognitive Questionnaire is available to educators and families.

Typical Classroom Accommodations for Dysgraphia

Educators are expected to provide resources to students to help mitigate their Dysgraphia and other learning disabilities. Most IEPs indicate accommodations such as:

• Providing extra time on writing assignments and exams
• Offering audio recordings of lessons instead of requiring note-taking
• Reducing the length of written assignments or allowing oral responses
• Giving students access to speech-to-text software

While these accommodations may help in the short term, they have considerable limitations. Many educators, parents, and even students report a number of problems with these measures:

Limiting Growth

• Some students become overly reliant on accommodations, hindering independence
• Accommodations can promote a deficit mindset or sense of learned helplessness

One-Size-Does Not Fit-All

• Accommodations don’t account for the unique needs and cognitive profile of students. Even the same diagnosis can have very different root causes.
• Accommodations do not adapt to the changing needs of students as they progress.

Social Stigma

• Students may be uncomfortable using accommodations amongst their peers, impacting self-esteem and social interactions.
• Students may internalize a label that limits their view of their own abilities and potential.

Limited Long-term Benefits

• Accommodations provide short-term measures, and are not designed to foster long-term growth.
• Skills learned through accommodations may not transfer to real-world situations or future educational settings.
• The root cause of the learning disability remains.

Inaccessibility and Resource Heavy

• Accommodations may require resources or support that are not available in all schools.
• Implementing certain accommodations can be logistically difficult, especially in large classrooms or limited-resource environments.

Why Accommodations are an Outdated Method of Helping Individuals With Dysgraphia

It’s clear that accommodations can provide some relief, but they are ultimately limited in their effectiveness. Not only do they involve the risks stated above, they all assume a basic premise which, in recent decades, has been found to be inaccurate. That is, the outdated assumption that students’ capacity to learn is fixed, so everything around them must be accommodated or changed.

Accommodations allow students to bypass their challenges: they also reinforce the faulty belief that learning disability is something individuals will have to live with for the rest of their lives.

Accommodating Dysgraphia, or other learning disabilities, doesn’t leverage the science that explains how the brain works. Research into neuroplasticity has shown that the brain can change, adapt, and improve. By strengthening the underlying cognitive functions that are weak in students with Dysgraphia (and other learning disabilities), educators can empower their students to move beyond temporary fixes and make measurable, lasting progress.

Accommodations aren’t inevitable. Instead, educators can directly impact their students’ capacity to learn with greater ease and efficiency through a cognitive approach. Educators can then play a crucial role, not merely to teach students knowledge and skills, but providing solutions that lead to independence and effective learning for the rest of their lives.

Educators Can Focus on Targeted Cognitive Training That Harnesses Neuroplasticity and Strengthens the Individual’s Brain

Instead of relying on accommodations that may offer temporary relief, educators can instead consider programs that utilize the brain’s neuroplasticity to address Dysgraphia at its core.

Neuroplasticity - which you can learn about in more detail in the Ultimate Guide to Neuroplasticity - refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections in response to learning, experience, and targeted cognitive training. This means that even in students with learning disabilities, the brain can be trained to improve the cognitive functions that are underperforming.

Targeted cognitive training programs, such as The Arrowsmith Program, focus on strengthening the specific areas of the brain that contribute to learning difficulties. Students improve their ability to write, spell, and organize their thoughts. They can fundamentally overcome the symptoms of Dysgraphia, and build the confidence and independence needed to thrive academically and personally.

Unlike accommodations, which help students navigate around their difficulties, cognitive training directly addresses the source of weakness. With this approach, educators enable students with Dysgraphia and other learning disabilities to perform better in the classroom but also experience long-term cognitive growth. This goes beyond academic success; it’s a solution that fosters resilience, and the belief that they are capable of overcoming any challenge.

By incorporating cognitive training that harnesses the principles of neuroplasticity into schools, educators can offer a real solution to students with Dysgraphia - one that empowers them to overcome their difficulties, rather than just manage them.

Interested in learning more about how the Arrowsmith Program can be implemented in your school to help your students overcome Dysgraphia and other learning disabilities? Get in touch with our team today.