Dysgraphia: Do you really know...?

tanyaschutte (64)in #steemiteducation • 9 years ago

We all, well most of us knows what Dyslexia is, but have you ever heard of Dysgraphia?
No?

I am going to do a few posts on

Dysgraphia
Dyslexia
ADHD
Dyscalculia
Reading difficulties

Hope you enjoy the posts!

What is dysgraphia?

Dysgraphia is a disorder that mainly affects the individual's handwriting. It is classified under learning abilities because of the effect it has on a child or person's writing abilitites.
See the below definition by the National Centre for learning disabilities

Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects writing abilities. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper. Because writing requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills, saying a student has dysgraphia is not sufficient. A student with disorders in written expression will benefit from specific accommodations in the learning environment, as well as additional practice learning the skills required to be an accomplished writer.
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Signs to look out for:

We all know some people have pretty bad handwriting, but that doesn't mean that they have dysgraphia. Here are the signs you should look out for.

Very tight and awkward pencil grip and body positioning when writing.
Avoidance of handwriting tasks or even writing tasks.
Becoming tired very quickly when doing writing activities.
Talking while writing.
Struggling with the organization of their thoughts when writing.

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Struggling with syntax and grammar.
When doing assessments there is a large gap between the individual's written and verbal assessment.
Struggle with shape and letter discrimination.
Struggles writing inside lines and margins.
Struggles with reading a maps, drawing and interpreting shapes.
The individual loses their train of thought very easily.

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The symptoms and signs differ between the age groups:

The symptoms of dysgraphia also vary depending on a child’s age. Signs generally appear when children are first learning to write.

Preschool children may be hesitant to write and draw and say that they hate coloring.
School-age children may have illegible handwriting that can be mix of cursive and print. They may have trouble writing on a line and may print letters that are uneven in size and height. Some children also may need to say words out loud when writing or have trouble putting their thoughts on paper.
Teenagers may write in simple sentences. Their writing may have many more grammatical mistakes than the writing of other kids their age.[3]
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What are the effects of dysgraphia on individuals?

Academic skills will be influenced if alternative methods aren't used to assist the child. It can be a highly intelligent learner, but if they have dysgraphia and they must write everything then it will seem as if this child is not intelligent.
Basic skills like fine motor control can be influenced.
Their social-emotional skills can be the ones that are very influenced. They can be labelled as sloppy and lazy if they are not diagnosed.

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Psychologists are the only ones that can diagnose individuals with dysgraphia. A Teacher or any professional can refer them.

How can we accommodate these children in our classes?

We have one child in our school that is diagnosed with dysgraphia and here are the methods we use to accommodate him.

Let someone read his assignments and allow him to verbally answer. This can be done in two ways, either record his answers or let an adult write down his answers on the test paper.
Do not mark spelling.
Record his work. (This boy's mom went and recorded all his books so he can sit and listen to the prescribed work.)
Practice fine motor skills through various exercises.
Do intensive copying skills so that all the movements can become natural and a memory. Since they have to be "retrained" to write.

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