There's a big difference between "cannot" write neatly and "chooses not to."
Sometimes it's more complex than that. Kids with handwriting disabilities sometimes "draw" their letters rather than "writing" them if they have to be neat-- engaging the "wrong" part of the brain, and making it really hard to focus on content and the actual production of writing at the same time.
One of my kids can either write legibly or keep track of his thoughts, but not both at the same time. Thanks to serious motor planning issues, the writing takes up most of his available brainpower. Typing is improving things somewhat.
ITA with DeeDee and ZenScanner. FWIW, I don't think it's necessarily easy to recognize what's up if there is a challenge with motor planning and handwriting when a child is still in K-1st grade. My dysgraphic's handwriting was incredibly sloppy at that age, but it wasn't the sloppiest handwriting in the class.
Some things I'd look for if you suspect a potential issue with handwriting:
1) (and I think you've noticed this) Are the challenges with handwriting way out of step with other academics?
2) Is your dd refusing to do work in class or at home that involves handwriting, but otherwise seems to be work that would be easy for her? (We saw this with math worksheets - we knew ds understood the concepts and the applications, but he would sit and stare and do nothing when he had a worksheet in front of him - and if we encouraged him by showing him verbally that he knew what to do, then encouraged him to write down answers, he threw tantrums instead of writing)
3) Try to observe how slow and labored the handwriting is compared to peers in her classroom
4) Does she seem to be slow to do other fine-motor related tasks - things like tying shoes, manipulating buttons, zipping zippers, putting on a coat etc. (note - I would not assume that because a child can draw well or make tiny clay figures easily that they aren't challenged with motor planning and handwriting - these are two very different types of activities).
5) Does she seem to consistently form her letters (however she's been taught), or does she seem to make them randomly each time, or stop to think about how to draw them?
Visual processing was mentioned above - and I have a dd who has had visual processing issues - her handwriting was very sloppy when she was in early elementary prior to vision therapy. I wouldn't immediately run off to find a vision therapists on that alone though. For instance, our dd also struggled with learning to read, and she appeared to be extremely klutzy, plus she didn't sit on chairs, she was always sliding off or wanting to stand up etc. She held her head in a very odd way when she was doing her schoolwork.
The thing is there are all kinds of things that could be going on, and for kids who have either visual processing or motor planning issues, there is a wide spectrum of how each child is individually impacted. I've offered up a few observations from my family's experience, but really I could never have figured out independently with either of my kids who had sloppy handwriting in early elementary without the help of a thorough eval by a professional that looked at a broad range of functioning. I was, quite honestly, caught off-guard by both of their diagnoses, even though I thought I knew what was going on with each.
Best wishes,
polarbear
