Retained Reflexes Contributing to Dysgraphia and Poor Handwriting

This article provides helpful information about how retained Primitive Reflexes contribute to Dysgraphia and poor handwriting. Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. As a reminder, ILS is not a health care provider and none of our materials or services provide a diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition or learning challenge you may see in your child or student. If you seek a diagnosis or treatment for your child or student, please contact a trained professional who can provide an evaluation of the child.

While retained Primitive Reflexes don’t directly cause Dysgraphia, they contribute to a child’s delays when it comes to handwriting and fine motor development.

Dysgraphia is a neurological learning challenge that makes handwriting and fine motor development difficult for a child. Signs of sloppy or messy handwriting could be the first signs of Dysgraphia.

Kids with Dysgraphia often struggle with forming letters, words and organizing their thoughts on paper. They also may appear to be lazy or underachieving when they experience these types of learning challenges.

When children have one or multiple retained Primitive Reflexes, it can contribute to their learning challenges with Dysgraphia.

Dysgraphia Signs

Children with a diagnosis of Dysgraphia typically have challenges with the following:

• Slow and laborious handwriting
• Inconsistent letter formation (writes letters and numbers backward)
• Poor spacing between letters, numbers and words
• Awkward and underdeveloped pencil grip
• Messy or illegible handwriting
• Frequent spelling errors
• Organizing thoughts on paper

When retained reflexes also play a role in a child’s Dysgraphia, the child may have additional struggles with the following:

• Presses hard on the paper
• Can’t rip paper
• Trouble erasing mistakes
• Grips pencil too hard
• Applies excessive pressure when writing and breaks the lead
• Cramped hands and tires easily when writing
• Loses place on the page
• Acts out behaviorally when handwriting becomes frustrating
• Mixed dominance and can’t choose a dominant hand to write with
• Holds objects in fists

Retained Primitive Reflexes and Dysgraphia

Children with Dysgraphia typically have multiple retained Primitive Reflexes that contribute to a child’s foundational development of handwriting and fine motor. When a child works on reflex integration for the reflexes causing delays in handwriting, diagnosis of Dysgraphia can dramatically improve.

The retained Primitive Reflexes that can create additional issues with Dysgraphia include the following:

ATNR Reflex

A retained Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) is commonly associated with handwriting difficulties and those diagnosed with Dysgraphia. When a child turns their head to look at the page they are writing on, a retained ATNR will activate automatically causing the arm to extend and the fingers to open. Kids who have a retained ATNR who are diagnosed with Dysgraphia require intense concentration when writing.

A retained ATNR makes it difficult for a child to choose a dominant hand to write with, which is why writing can become difficult when the child also has trouble with Dysgraphia. Using a pen or pencil requires more effort from the child, which leads to excessive pressure when writing.

In addition, handwriting often suffers in quality and quantity. The child usually takes twice as long to write a sentence when compared to their peers.

Kids with a retained ATNR reflex and Dysgraphia are typically delayed in the following areas:

• Motor coordination and planning
• Pencil grip
• Writes letters and words slanted on the page
• Turns the paper at a 90-degree angle to straighten the arm when the reflex is activated
• Prevents kids from coordinating both hands in unison (i.e., when the child holds the paper with one hand while the other hand writes)

A child with a retained ATNR has overly tight pencil grip, which creates cramping and fatigue in the arms and hands when writing. This leads to kids shaking out their hands and arms frequently due to the fatigue.

When the child is writing, they may straighten their arm instead of bending at the elbow because it activates the ATNR reflex. To compensate for the activation of the ATNR, the child may lean back in the chair until their arm straightens so they can write.

STNR Reflex

A retained Symmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (STNR) can create additional problems with handwriting, especially when the child is seated at their desk. Because a retained STNR reflex also creates poor coordination and fidgeting, writing and copying notes becomes more difficult. Copying notes becomes slow and tedious, which often leads to missed information and mistakes gathered in class.

A child who has Dysgraphia and a retained STNR reflex often experiences delayed eye-hand coordination and bad posture that support handwriting development.

Hands-grasping Reflex

When a child has retained the Hands-grasping reflex, it can create a number of challenges with manual dexterity and upper gross and fine motor skills. A child who had a retained Hands-grasping reflex and Dysgraphia has trouble using utensils, scissors and pencils. When retained, the Hands-grasping reflex contributes to the child’s tight pencil grip and tension in the shoulders, arms and hands.

Kids with Dysgraphia and a retained Hands-grasping reflex often break the lead of their pencil when the reflex activates. Because the reflex interferes with handwriting, it also interferes with the child’s flow of thoughts and ideas they put down on paper.

Bapkin Reflex

A retained Bapkin reflex creates delays in fine motor development and also impacts the ATNR reflex integration. A retained Bapkin reflex also causes delays with the following:

• Tying shoe laces
• Buttoning shirts
• Zipping clothes
• Using utensils

Kids with Dysgraphia who also have a retained Bapkin reflex are known as messy eaters or excessive eaters.

Palmar Reflex

Development of the Palmar reflex is vital for grip strength and coordinating hand movements. The Palmar reflex also paves the way for setting a foundation for handwriting, buttoning or playing instruments.

If the child has Dysgraphia and a retained Palmar reflex, they may have trouble grasping objects and developing their fine motor skills. In addition, the Palmar reflex also creates trouble when kids button their clothes or use utensils to eat.

Children with a retained Palmar reflex and Dysgraphia have awkward use of their hands and fingers. They typically experience sensitivities in the palms and hands, which can activate the reflex when touched.

Immature pencil grip and handwriting skills often develop when the Palmar reflex is retained. As a result, the reflex causes poor posture so the child can’t support their handwriting skills at their desk. Like other retained Reflexes, the Palmar reflex prevents kids from getting their thoughts and ideas down on paper.

Retained Primitive Reflexes Roadmap

For more information on the signs and symptoms of six retained Primitive reflexes, complete the form below to download a free copy of our Retained Primitive Reflexes Roadmap. When you’ve completed the form, check your email inbox for the download link, including your junk and spam folder. If you do not see the download link come to your email inbox, please email us at info@ilslearning.com.

Reference Materials

Pecuch, A., Sedlak, M., Pecuch, K., & Biel, A. (2021). Primitive reflex activity in relation to motor skills in healthy preschool children. Brain Sciences, 11(8), Article 967. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11080967

Gieysztor, E., Gaździk, M., Barańczyk, K., & Pecuch, A. (2016). Persistence of primitive reflexes and associated motor problems in typically developing preschool children. Archives of Medical Science, 12(3), 535–543. https://doi.org/10.5114/aoms.2016.59936

Goodarzi, S., Khalaji, H., & Moradi, J. (2025). The relationship between retained primitive reflexes and motor proficiency of elementary school children. Journal of Motor Control and Learning, 7(1), Article e158078. https://doi.org/10.5812/jmcl-158078

Hirose, N., Tashiro, Y., & Takasaki, T. (2025). Effects of a 12-week exercise intervention on primitive reflex retention and social development in children with ASD and ADHD. Children, 12(8), Article 987. https://doi.org/10.3390/children12080987

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