Disorder of written expression

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Background
Disorder of written expression is a childhood condition characterized by poor writing skills. To some extent, 3 - 10% of school-age children are affected by this disorder. This disorder appears by itself or in conjunction with other learning or developmental disabilities.

Symptoms

 * Avoids written work.
 * Poor spelling
 * Errors in grammar
 * Errors in punctuation
 * Poor handwriting
 * Composition is poor relative to oral expression skills; uses simple vocabulary to avoid spelling difficulty.

Assessments

 * Oral and Written Language Scales (OWLS)
 * Test of Adolescent and Adult Language–3 (TOAL-3)
 * Test of Early Written Language
 * Test of Written Expression (TOWE)
 * Test of Written Language–3 (TOWL-3)
 * Woodcock Johnson Psychoeducational Battery–Revised, Tests of Achievement

Other disabilities often linked with the disorder of written expression

 * Dyslexia
 * Reading disability
 * Expressive language disorder
 * Mathematics disorder
 * Developmental coordination disorder