1. Dysgraphia

2. What is dysgraphia? Etymology: [Greek] “dys” (impaired)
“graphia” (making letters form by hand)
Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5)
“an impairment in written expression” under “specific learning disorder”
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
“specific learning disability”: issue with understanding or using language (spoken or written)
difficult to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or do mathematical calculations

3. What causes dysgraphia?
Language Disorders
Motor Skill Deficits (Apraxia)
Working Memory
Genetic Links

4. difficulty converting phonemes (sounds of language) into graphemes (written form)
write letters in reverse
trouble recalling how letters are formed
problem in knowing when to use lower of uppercase letters
struggling how to write sentences with correct grammar and punctuation
Language Disorders

5. Language Disorders Note:
omitting words
words ordered incorrectly
incorrect verb and pronoun usage
word ending errors
Language Disorders
Note:
People with Dysgraphia may speak more easily and fluently than they write.

6. difficulty in performing the controlled fine motor skills needed for writing
Apraxia
impaired voluntary execution of a skilled motor movement
single controlled movement (writing a single letter)
sequence of movements (writing entire words)
Motor Skill Deficits

7. Working Memory Genetic Links problem with Orthographic Coding
ability to store unfamiliar written words in the working memory
hard time remembering how to print or write a letter or word
Genetic Links
dysgraphia can run in families

8. How is dysgraphia manifested?
Visual-Spatial difficulties
Fine Motor difficulties
Language Processing issues
Spelling/Handwriting issues
Grammar and Usage problems
Organization of Written Language

9. Visual-Spatial difficulty
trouble with shape-discrimination and letter spacing
trouble organizing words on the page from left to right
letters go in all directions
letters and words run together on the page
has a hard time writing on a line and inside margins
has trouble reading maps, drawing or reproducing a shape
copies text slowly
Visual-Spatial difficulty
They find it hard to replicate what they see on paper or on the board

10. has trouble holding a pencil correctly, tracing, cutting food, tying shoes, doing puzzles, texting and keyboarding
is unable to use scissors well or to color inside the lines
holds his wrist, arm, body or paper in an awkward position when writing
Fine Motor difficulty
People with dysgraphia have trouble using small muscles, like the ones in their hands
They have an awkward grip when holding a pencil, crayon or pen

11. Language Processing issues
trouble getting ideas down on paper quickly
trouble understanding the rules of games
has a hard time following directions
loses his or her train of thought
Language Processing issues
people with dysgraphia have
trouble doing task that require keeping track of how things look and connect
they have difficulty organizing language in writing, even when ideas are clear to them

12. Spelling/ Hand-writing issues
hard time understanding spelling rules
trouble telling if a word is misspelled
can spell correctly orally but makes spelling errors in writing
spells words incorrectly and in many different ways
has trouble using spell-check— and when he or she does, he or she doesn’t recognize the correct word
Spelling/ Hand-writing issues

13. Spelling/ Hand-writing issues
mixes upper- and lowercase letters
blends printing and cursive
has trouble reading his own writing
avoids writing
gets a tired or cramped handed when he writes
erases a lot
Spelling/ Hand-writing issues
They have often struggle with the mechanics and aspects of writing including spelling
This makes them feel frustrated and discouraged

14. Grammar and Usage problems
doesn’t know how to use punctuation
overuses commas and mixes up verb tenses
doesn’t start sentences with a capital letter
doesn’t write in complete sentences but writes in a list format
writes sentences that “run on forever”
Grammar and Usage problems

15. Organizing Written Language
has trouble telling a story and may start in the middle
leaves out important facts and details, or provides too much information
assumes others know what he’s talking about
uses vague descriptions
writes jumbled sentences
never gets to the point, or makes the same point over and over
is better at conveying ideas when speaking
Organizing Written Language

16. Pre- schoolers School-aged children Teenagers
may be hesitant to write and draw
say that they hate coloring
Pre- schoolers
may have illegible handwriting (mix of cursive and print)
trouble writing in a line
may print letters in uneven size and height
may need to say words out loud before writing
have trouble putting thoughts on paper
School-aged
children
Teenagers
may write in simple sentences
may have more grammatical mistakes

17. Resources:
issues/child-learning- disabilities/dysgraphia/understanding-dysgraphia