The ability to write, whether basically, capably, comprehensively or even poetically, varies across the spectrum of humanity. Normally the ability is dependent on interest, creativity and encouragement. Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, poor writing ability is due to inferior or non-existent schooling, rather than a lack of aptitude. But for some, difficulty in learning to write, whether that's just a basic ability or the creative expression of a beauty they might otherwise share with the world, is intrinsic rather than a matter of desire or educational availability. The common term used to describe this is dysgraphia; "dys-" meaning difficulty and "-graphia" meaning to visually represent, though generally referred to as a "difficulty in writing". More severe cases may be called agraphia, an inability to visually represent or write at all.
While dysgraphia is an inability to write decipherably, it does not necessarily indicate an equivalent difficulty in reading (dyslexia) although the two do often occur together. It also offers no relevance towards the intelligence of the sufferer. Dysgraphia is displayed in a number of ways. Sufferers seem to have particular difficulty with the order of letters in the middle of words, mixing them randomly while getting the the initial and final letters correct. Mixing uppercase and lowercase letters within words is also a frequent symptom. Children suffering from dysgraphia often write using letters of variable, disproportionate sizes and with irregular spacing.
Dysgraphia may often be associated with impaired hearing, but can also occur due to neurological problems that are not yet fully understood in a child with no visual or hearing difficulties. Such neurological problems may be congenital (from birth) or due to brain trauma from physical injury to the brain. Adults that develop dysgraphia, who have previously been capable writers, have almost always suffered from a head injury (trauma), disease or stroke affecting brain function.
Dysgraphia, particularly in children, is categorized as a learning disability. Learning disabilities are defined as a varied group of disorders that significantly impact the sufferer in the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, mathematical and/or reasoning abilities.
Whether from birth or induced through injury, dysgraphia can lead to considerable problems for the sufferer, especially if not recognized and diagnosed as early as possible. Testing for any neurological impairment should be a matter of course for any child or adult that receives a head injury or suffers from a disease that may affect brain function. Children with congenital dysgraphia have historically been considered "slow"; it has only recently been recognized as the health issue it is, with tests to determine and procedures to help overcome it. Even so, it is still relatively unknown to the general public in comparison to dyslexia.
Not only should children displaying below average writing ability be tested for dysgraphia, but children who excel in cognitive (reasoning) ability but have disparate writing ability as well. An extremely bright child might manage to achieve average writing grades even though they suffer from dysgraphia, although this is less likely than for a child suffering from dyslexia. Those suffering from dysgraphia tend towards illegible writing, misspelling particularly through mis-ordering the letters of a word, and misusing upper and lower case letters. Early detection is important so that help may be provided to assist the child in overcoming this learning disability.
Various tests such as the Metropolitan Readiness Tests (MRT) and the Illinois Snapshot of Early Learning (ISEL) may detect dysgraphia in children. Please see the Helium articles under the title "An Overview of Learning Disability Tests for Infants and Children" for further details.
The primary purpose of such tests is to determine a child's (or adult's) needs, not to categorize them. By determining the problems a child may have, the appropriate assistance and guidance can be provided enabling them to achieve the writing ability that will allow them to get the most out of life.