Writing Disabilities Sousa Chapter 6

Spoken & Written Language Researchers used to think that the left brain housed both processing centers Now know they develop differently Processes are related but separate – sometimes in different cerebral hemispheres

Spoken & Written Language Humans have been speaking for over 10,000 years, but writing for only about 5,000 years Spoken language now innate & develops easily, while written language requires instruction

Learning to Write Integrating 2 components: mental functions that select content of the writing (the writing process) physical act of moving a writing instrument across a surface to form words (handwriting) Difficult for little ones – fine motor skills & executive thought processes still not fully developed

Learning to Write – Mechanisms at Work Requires coordination of multiple neural networks: attention, fine motor, memory, visual processing, language, higher-order thinking Visual feedback mechanisms check output, adjust fine motor skills, monitor eye-hand coordination

Learning to Write – Mechanisms at Work (cont.) Kinesthetic monitoring systems check position & movement of fingers in space & on pencil, rhythm & pace of writing Cognitive systems verify symbols with long-term memory – requires visual memory for symbols, whole- word memory, spelling rules: phoneme-to-grapheme matching is constant

Learning to Write – Mechanisms at Work (cont.) Writing is labor-intensive Activates the parietal lobe (motor cortex), occipital lobe (visual processing), & spoken-language areas of left hemisphere See figures on pg. 120

What Writing Requires Properly functioning central nervous system Intact receptive and expressive language skills Related cognitive operations Emotional stability

What Writing Requires (cont.) Application of concepts of organization & flow Understanding of rules of pronunciation, spelling, grammar, & syntax Visual & spatial organization Simultaneous processing

What Writing Does Encourages mental rehearsal Reinforces long-term memory Helps the mind sort & prioritize information So what can go wrong with this vital learning & life skill?

Difficulties in Writing Environmental causes Neurological causes Dysgraphia

Environmental causes Too little time as a small child spent practicing correct writing Schools may contribute to writing problems by allotting too little time to direct instruction in writing – writing is not a survival skill, so brain needs a lot of practice to get it right Invented spelling – critical for literacy - allow

Neurological Causes Complex combination of mechanisms needed to write – much can go wrong Stroke or lesion at critical brain locations Receptor cells in skin, muscles, tendons, joints – have a problem – muscle coordination for writing gone Problems with visual processing system

Dysgraphia AKA: Agraphia Spectrum disorder – difficulties mastering the sequence of movements needed to write letters & numbers See tables p. 123 & p. 124 Dyslexic, motor, spatial Categories for diagnosing pp

Dysgraphia & Other Disorders Dyslexia Sequencing Problems ADHD Auditory Processing Disorders Visual Processing Disorders

Characteristics of Good Writing List p. 127 – work from there

Strategies to Consider See pp