Why do you mix up lower case B's P's and D's when you write?

Answer 1

Dysgraphia is a specific learning disability in the area of written expression. There are three types of Dysgraphia:

Dyslexic Dysgraphiais where the first draft of a paper is illegible but copied work is acceptable. A child with this type of disgraphia will have difficulty with spelling as well. Dyslexic dysgraphia does not necessarily mean that the child has dyslexia, a reading disability.

Motor Dysgraphia is defined as having a deficit in fine motor skills, poor dexterity and poor muscle tone. A child with motor dysgraphia will usually illegible handwriting, even when the work is copied. Letter formation in isolation is okay, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Spelling is generally okay for this child.

Spatial dysgraphia would present itself in illegible written work, even when the work is copied. In contrast, a child with spatial dysgraphia usually has normal spelling skills.

(Deuel, Ruthmary K., M.D. Developmental Dysgraphia and Motor Skills Disorders. Journal of Child Neurology, Vol. 10, Supp.1. January 1995, pp. S6-S8)

General Symptoms that Accompany DysgraphiaStudents who have a specific disability in writing often lack basic spelling skills. They may often confuse the letters: b, q, p, and d. These students will often write the wrong words when attempting to put their thoughts down on paper, as well. A teacher may notice that the student's letters are inappropriately spaced, are incomplete or are a mixture of upper and lower case letters all in the same word.

The student may have an odd grip on pencil or pen, complain about pain while writing, or simply refuse to write. In addition, the writing itself may simply be illegible. Even so, illegibility should not be the sole qualifying factor in diagnosing a writing disability.

How is Dysgraphia Diagnosed?

Causes of Dysgraphia include genetics, head trauma, brain damage and disease. In order to diagnose dysgraphia, a parent or teacher would first be aware of the problem. A family physician will then generally refer the child to an occupational therapist who will do a battery of tests. These tests will look for pre-writing skills including:

• Fine motor skills
• Visuomotor integration (which involves being able to coordinate your hand and eyes together)
• Smooth strokes
• Perceptual discrimination of shapes/letters/numbers
• Orientation to printed page
• Ability to recognize letters

Professionals involved in the diagnosis include the occupational therapist, school psychologist, and special educator. Once a writing disability is identified, the student should begin to receive help to improve their writing skills.

How is Dysgraphia Treated?An occupational therapist will often work with a child diagnosed with dysgraphia, teaching letter formation with directional sequence first, then blending those letters into words. Often, multi-sensory programs are used to teach reading and writing, and the Orton-Gillingham Method has shown to be helpful. What Can You do to Help?There are many things that can easily be done in the classroom and at home to reinforce skills or teach a child with dysgraphia. These include:

• Use paper with clear lines printed for height and depth of letters (this means the child knows where the top middle and bottom of each letter should go).
• Have the child write daily - and allow choice in what he writes.
• Encourage letter writing.
• Avoid making writing a punishment or negative activity.
• Any other activities that help work on fine motor skills.

To help with hand-eye coordination, encourage activities that require cutting, making crafts, cooking, baking and participating in sports. To help with visual memory, play card games, marbles and jacks.