Causes and Treatment of Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that affects how easily children acquire written language and how well they use written language to express their thoughts.

Dysgraphia is a Greek word. The base word graph refers both to the hand’s function in writing and to the letters formed by the hand. The prefix dys indicates that there is impairment. Graph refers to producing letter forms by hand. The suffix ia refers to having a condition. Thus, dysgraphia is the condition of impaired letter writing by hand, that is, disabled handwriting and sometimes spelling. Impaired handwriting can interfere with learning to spell words in writing. Occasionally, but not very often, children have just spelling problems and not handwriting or reading problems.

OBJECTIVES

1.   Explain the effects of dysgraphia (disorder of written expression) on learning in the  classroom.

2.  Understand the types of accommodations or other support that can help meet the educational needs of students with dysgraphia.

3.   Know how to support a student with dysgraphia.

CAUSES

The research of dysgraphia in Indonesia is not that many have been found. There are only a few schools that provide a good facilitation for dysgraphia children. Although research on dysgraphia has been limited, there are several theories that shown what have caused dysgraphia. They are including

•  Problems with sequencing and organizing information 

•  Problems processing what you are seeing (visual information) 

•  Problems understanding and processing what you are hearing (auditory information) 

• Problems with orthographic coding, which is the process of storing written words in working memory while analyzing the letters that make up the word during word learn

SYMPTOMS OF DYSGRAPHIA

•   Handwriting that is illegible.

•   Letter sizes and shapes are irregular.

•   Incomplete letters.

•   Difficulty using writing as a means of communication.

•   Awkward pencil grip6.

•   Several spelling mistakes when writing.

•  Saying words aloud to yourself while writing. 

•  Avoidance of or refusal to complete tasks that involve writing or drawing.

•  Missing or incomplete words in sentences.

•  Trouble with grammar and sentence structure.

•  Inefficient use of paper lines and spaces.

•  Pain in the hand or arm while writing.

•  Discrepancy between understanding demonstrated through verbal, communication  and written ideas.

•  Tiring easily when writing

Diagnosis

The first step is for your child's pediatrician to rule out any other diseases or conditions that could cause writing difficulties.

A licensed psychologist trained in learning disorders can diagnose dysgraphia. This could be your child's school psychologist. The specialist will give your child academic and writing tests that measure his ability to put thoughts into words and his fine motor skills. For instance, he may be asked to tap his fingers or turn his wrist a certain way.

Your child also may be asked to write sentences or copy words and letters. The specialist will look at his:

• Finished work

• Hand and body position

• Pencil grip

• Posture

• Writing process

Treatment

There's no cure for dysgraphia. Treatment varies from child to child and depends on whether he has any other learning disabilities or health conditions. Medication used to treat ADHD has helped with dysgraphia in some kids who have both conditions.

How Can I Help My Child?

Here are some things you can try:

• Have your child use wide-ruled paper, graph paper, or paper with raised lines to help with letter and word alignment.

• Try pencil grips or other writing aids for comfort.

• Let her use a computer to type instead of write, and teach typing skills early.

• Don't criticize sloppy work. Praise her hard work and offer positive reinforcement.

• Acknowledge the condition and talk to your child about it.

• Teach her ways to relieve stress before writing. For example, have her shake or rub her hands together quickly.

• Let her squeeze a stress ball to improve hand-muscle strength and coordination.

Talk to your child's teacher about her condition and needs at school. She may qualify for special education services and an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or other special assistance (such as a 504 plan). These documents detail your child's needs and give the school ways to help her.

Some things you might ask for include:

• Shorter writing assignments or different questions from her classmates

• Use of a computer to type instead of write

• Copies of the class notes to limit writing work

• Use of a voice-to-dictation machine or another electronic note taker

• An option to record the teacher's lectures

• Video or audio reports instead of written homework assignments

• Oral instead of written exams

What kinds of instructional activities improve the handwriting of children with dysgraphia?

Initially, children with impaired handwriting benefit from activities that support learning to form letters:

• playing with clay to strengthen hand muscles;

• keeping lines within mazes to develop motor control;

• connecting dots or dashes to create complete letter forms;

• tracing letters with index finger or eraser end of pencil;

• imitating the teacher modeling sequential strokes in letter formation; and copying letters from models.

Subsequently, once children learn to form legible letters, they benefit from instruction that helps them develop automatic letter writing, using the following steps to practice each of the 26 letters of the alphabet in a different order daily:

• studying numbered arrow cues that provide a consistent plan for letter formation

• covering the letter with a 3 x 5 card and imaging the letter in the mind’s eye

• writing the letter from memory after interval that increases in duration over the handwriting lessons

• writing letters from dictation (spoken name to letter form) and writing letters during composing for 5 minutes on a teacher-provided topic.

Students benefit from explicit instruction in spelling throughout K–12

• initially in high frequency Anglo-Saxon words

• subsequently in coordinating the phonological, orthographic, and morphological processes relevant for the spelling of longer, more complex, less frequent words and at all grade levels in the most common and important words used for the different academic domains of the curriculum.

Throughout K-12, students benefit from strategies for composing

• planning, generating, reviewing/evaluating, and revising compositions of different genre including narrative, informational, compare and contrast, and persuasive; and

• self-regulation strategies for managing the complex executive functions involved in composing.

In summary, dysgraphia is a specific learning disability that can be diagnosed and treated. Children with dysgraphia usually have other problems such as difficulty with spelling and written expression, as well as dyslexia and, in some cases, oral language problems. It is important that a thorough assessment of handwriting and related skill areas be carried out in order to plan specialized instruction in all deficient skills that may be interfering with a student’s learning of written language.Findings of this study suggest that intervention for children with handwriting difficulties should focus not only on improvement of fine motor coordination, but also and foremost on improvement of visual-motor integration process