District Mental Health Program - Dysgraphia [ Learning Disability ] Writing Problem

Dysgraphia [ Learning Disability ] Writing Problem Dysgraphia is a learning disability of written expression, that affects the ability to write, primarily handwriting, but also coherence. Dysgraphia is a brain-based learning disability that affects writing. Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder of written expression that impairs writing ability and fine motor skills. It is a learning disability that affects children and adults, and interferes with practically all aspects of the writing process, including spelling, legibility, word spacing and sizing, and expression. It’s estimated that 5 to 10 percent of all children have some type of writing deficit like dysgraphia - Trouble forming letters shapes - Tight, awkward, or painful grip on a pencil - Difficulty following a line or staying within margins - Trouble with sentence structure or following rules of grammar when writing, but not when speaking - Difficulty organizing or articulating thoughts on paper - Pronounced difference between spoken and written understanding of a topic 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).