Dysgraphia

I thought I'd finish out the set by posting some basic information about dysgraphia. Dyslexia is a learning challenge in the realm of reading and understanding written materials, dyscalculia affects an individual's ability to understand and perform mathematics and other skills involving numbers. An individual affected by dysgraphia has difficulty with writing tasks - from the motor skills used to handle a writing implement to the process of putting thoughts down on paper in written form. Because writing is a skill that develops in a continuum from early childhood (preschool) through adolescence and into adulthood, different challenges may arise at different times.

Some warning signs of dysgraphia include:

• ineffective pencil grip and poor writing posture
• poor penmanship
• fatigue during writing tasks
• finding ways to avoid writing
• saying words aloud during writing tasks
• incomplete sentences or missing words
• trouble putting ideas onto paper
• problems with sentence structure, common usage and grammar
• significant differences between written work and ideas expressed through other means such as oral or practical skill.

Parents and school staff should work together with the student to determine an appropriate combination of support and accommodation to best meet the student's needs. In some cases written tasks can be performed through other means such as speaking or using a computer instead of handwriting. Assignments can be modified to reduce reliance on written skills. However, because handwriting is an important facet of everyday life, remediation and coping skills should also be used to strengthen writing abilities.

This website has a variety of suggestions for different developmental levels to encourage writing skill improvement.

One particular idea that I wanted to emphasize is the introduction of computers early in a child's schooling. There is a lot of advice out there about limiting screen time and reducing childrens' exposure to technology in order to encourage more physical activity. I want to emphasize that "computing" should be done in moderation. However, I do feel it is important to begin familiarizing children with computers, keyboards and mouses (mice?) earlier rather than later. Our daughter is in first grade and her class spends about an hour each week in her school's computer lab. I have observed a couple of short sessions in the computer lab during my regular volunteering time. The students use the keyboard to log in to various software programs. They use a combination of point-and-click mouse skills and keyboard strokes to drive the software. If they are not familiar with the keyboard and mouse they lose learning time, and have trouble completing their tasks. I was relieved that our daughter has learned these skills. In fact we have a little competition going sometimes as to who spends more time at my desktop computer. Fortunately I can always access my laptop! As technology increases I imagine that computer skills will become even more essential to daily life, though I'm not sure that handwriting will ever completely disappear.

For more information on dysgraphia, you can start here.

Dyscalculia

As a follow up to my earlier post on dyslexia, I thought I would let you all know about it's lesser known cousin, dyscalculia. As dyslexia is to written words, letters, and reading; dyscalculia is to numbers, both for arithmetic and sequences like phone numbers and other codes. The textbook definition of dyscalculia covers any number of learning disabilities related to recognizing, writing, and manipulating numbers in mathematical functions. For a more personal perspective, check out this post.

If this sounds like a simple math problem, dyscalculia can be related to language disorders and visual spatial processing. The problems can stem from early childhood with difficulties in sorting, recognizing numerals, matching numbers with amounts, and comparing objects in terms of size or length. Older children may be challenged by learning math functions and remembering what various symbols mean or copying from textbooks to their own paper. If basic math functions cause difficulty, older students may be challenged by advanced mathematics involving several steps and more abstract concepts. Math-related activities such as remembering the sequences of numbers (codes, phone numbers, addresses, etc,) understanding time flow and schedules, organization skills, games of strategy, and  sense of direction may also be challenging.

Due to the wide variety of learning disabilities described by this term, a full set of mathematical assessments should be used to determine each individual's ability, level of understanding, strengths and weaknesses. Specific strategies can then be used to help the individual learn each skill more effectively.

To learn more about dyscalculia, check out LD Online or The Dyscalculia Forum.