{"h1":"Dyslexia or Dysgraphia: How to Tell the Difference","faq":[{"a":"Yes. Reading and writing difficulties often overlap, and a child can have features of both. Spelling trouble in particular can appear in either. A structured assessment maps exactly where the difficulties lie so support can be tailored.","q":"Can a child have both dyslexia and dysgraphia?"},{"a":"These learning differences are usually identified around ages 6–8, once formal reading and writing instruction is well underway. Before that, it is more appropriate to nurture pre-literacy skills like rhyme, letter play and fine-motor games, and to watch and monitor rather than label.","q":"At what age can dyslexia or dysgraphia be identified?"},{"a":"Dyslexia mainly affects reading — recognising, decoding and sounding out words. Dysgraphia mainly affects written expression — the physical act of writing and getting thoughts onto paper. Spoken understanding and ideas may be strong in both.","q":"What is the main difference between dyslexia and dysgraphia?"},{"a":"With early, accurate identification and the right teaching strategies, most children make strong progress and develop tools that serve them for life. Many go on to thrive at school and beyond — these are differences in how the brain learns, not limits on what a child can achieve.","q":"Will my child still struggle as an adult?"}],"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-dyslexia-reading-impairment-or-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment","title":"How do I know if my child has Dyslexia or Dysgraphia?","entity":{"key":"dyslexia-vs-dysgraphia","kind":"condition","name":"Dyslexia (Reading Impairment) vs Dysgraphia (Written Expression Impairment)","slug":null},"lenses":[{"kind":"stakeholder","label":"Parent","value":"parent"},{"kind":"domain","label":"Adaptive","value":"adaptive"},{"kind":"intent","label":"Support","value":"support"},{"kind":"lifecycle","label":"Screen","value":"screen"},{"kind":"route","label":"Special-Education","value":"special-education"},{"kind":"empowerment","label":"Early Clarity","value":"early_clarity"}],"parent":{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"},"related":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-and-specific-learning-disability-in-young-children","title":"Dysgraphia vs Specific Learning Disability in young children"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-affect-a-child-s-daily-life","title":"How Dysgraphia Affects a Child's Daily Life"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-dyslexia-reading-impairment-or-specific-learning-disability","title":"How do I know if my child has Dyslexia or a Specific Learning Disability?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-dyslexia-reading-impairment-and-what-does-it-look-like-in-early-childhood","title":"What is Dyslexia (Reading Impairment) and what does it look like in early childhood?"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-and-dyslexia-reading-impairment-in-young-children","title":"Dysgraphia vs Dyslexia in Young Children"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-dyslexia-reading-impairment-and-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-in-children","title":"Dyslexia vs Dysgraphia in Children"}],"summary":"Dyslexia mainly affects reading and decoding words, while dysgraphia mainly affects the physical writing and getting thoughts onto paper; a child can have one or both. These are usually identified around ages 6–8 once formal literacy teaching is underway, and only a structured clinician-administered assessment can tell them apart clearly. AbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","answer_md":"*When reading and writing feel harder than they should, knowing whether the struggle is with decoding words or putting them on paper is the first step to the right help.*\n\n## In short\nDyslexia and dysgraphia can look alike from the outside, but they affect different skills. **Dyslexia** mainly affects *reading* — recognising, sounding out and decoding words — while **dysgraphia** mainly affects *written expression* — the physical act of writing and getting thoughts onto paper. A child can have one, the other, or both together. You cannot tell which from home alone; a structured educational and developmental assessment is what tells them apart clearly.\n\n## How they tend to show up differently\n**Signs that lean towards dyslexia (reading):**\n- Slow, effortful or inaccurate reading; guessing words from the first letter or picture.\n- Trouble sounding out new or unfamiliar words and blending letter-sounds.\n- Difficulty with rhyming, breaking words into sounds, or remembering letter names.\n- Reading is tiring and avoided, though spoken understanding may be strong.\n\n**Signs that lean towards dysgraphia (written expression):**\n- Handwriting that is messy, slow, painful or hard to read despite effort.\n- An awkward pencil grip, tiring hands, or inconsistent letter sizing and spacing.\n- A big gap between what a child can *say* and what they can write down.\n- Spelling errors, missing words, and trouble organising ideas on paper.\n\n**The overlap:** spelling difficulty can appear in both, and many children have features of each. Importantly, these are usually identified around ages 6–8, once formal reading and writing instruction is well underway — earlier, it is more appropriate to watch and nurture pre-literacy skills (rhyme, letter play, drawing, fine-motor games) rather than label.\n\n## When to seek a check\nSeek a structured check if, after age 6–7, your child still reads or writes well below classmates, dreads literacy tasks, tires quickly when reading or writing, or if their written work falls far short of their clear verbal ability. Early, accurate identification means the right teaching and support can begin while learning is still being built.\n\n## The Pinnacle way\nAbilityScore® is part of Pinnacle’s developmental assessment. Diagnosis, where needed, requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional — never from an app or an online checklist. Our clinicians use a structured, clinician-administered assessment to map exactly where the difficulty lies — reading, writing, or both — and shape a plan around your child's strengths. Explore [how the AbilityScore® is formed](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), see how targeted [learning and educational therapy](/special-education) supports literacy skills, and start at our [home page](/) to find your nearest centre.\n\n## Trusted sources\nWHO ICD-11 developmental learning disorder framework (with impairment in reading and in written expression); American Academy of Pediatrics (HealthyChildren.org) guidance on learning differences; American Speech-Language-Hearing Association guidance on written and spoken language disorders.\n\n**Next step —** Want clarity on what your child is really finding hard? [Book a learning assessment with a Pinnacle clinician](/special-education).\n\nThis is general information, not a diagnosis — individual assessment and diagnosis require an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.","canonical":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-dyslexia-reading-impairment-or-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment","editorial":{"reviewed_at":"2026-06-11T20:12:18.613642+00:00","reviewed_by":null,"developed_by":"SETU Consortium · Pinnacle Blooms Network"},"alternates":[{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-dyslexia-reading-impairment-or-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment","lang":"en","indexable":true},{"href":"https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-dyslexia-reading-impairment-or-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-te","lang":"te","indexable":true}],"dimensions":[{"key":"conditions","label":"Conditions"}],"meta_title":"Dyslexia vs Dysgraphia: How to Know | Pinnacle","meta_robots":"index, follow, max-image-preview:large","everyday_tip":"Read together daily and let your child write or draw freely with no pressure — notice whether the struggle is more with recognising words (reading) or with forming letters and getting ideas down (writing), and jot examples to share with a clinician.","published_at":"2026-06-10T13:18:00.18205+00:00","reading_paths":[{"key":"understand","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-and-dyslexia-reading-impairment-in-young-children","title":"Dysgraphia vs Dyslexia in Young Children","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-dyslexia-reading-impairment-and-what-does-it-look-like-in-early-childhood","title":"What is Dyslexia (Reading Impairment) and what does it look like in early childhood?","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-does-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-affect-a-child-s-daily-life","title":"How Dysgraphia Affects a Child's Daily Life","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-and-specific-learning-disability-in-young-children","title":"Dysgraphia vs Specific Learning Disability in young children","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Understand the subject","total":4},{"key":"therapy","items":[{"lang":"en","slug":"what-is-the-difference-between-dyslexia-reading-impairment-and-dysgraphia-written-expression-impairment-in-children","title":"Dyslexia vs Dysgraphia in Children","reason":"Linked from this answer"},{"lang":"en","slug":"how-do-i-know-if-my-child-has-dyslexia-reading-impairment-or-specific-learning-disability","title":"How do I know if my child has Dyslexia or a Specific Learning Disability?","reason":"Linked from this answer"}],"label":"Explore therapy & support","total":2}],"what_to_watch":"Watch for slow, effortful or avoided reading and trouble sounding out words (leaning towards dyslexia), and messy, painful or very slow handwriting with a gap between what your child can say and write (leaning towards dysgraphia) — especially if these persist beyond age 6–7.","authority_links":[{"url":"https://icd.who.int","label":"WHO ICD-11: Developmental learning disorder"},{"url":"https://www.healthychildren.org","label":"AAP HealthyChildren.org: Learning differences"},{"url":"https://www.asha.org","label":"ASHA: Written and spoken language disorders"}],"last_reviewed_at":"2026-06-10T13:18:00.18205+00:00","meta_description":"Wondering if your child has dyslexia or dysgraphia? Learn how reading and writing difficulties differ, when to seek a check, and how to get clarity.","related_materials":[],"related_techniques":[]}