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Poor handwriting
Handwriting is a complex set of motor and information processing skills. Many children have difficulty mastering proper handwriting. This may cause frustration and distress. Causes of handwriting can be variable and related to different factors such as brain damage, physical illness or deformity, disorientation, multiple mental images, inadequate orientation and / or poor instruction.
Dysgraphia means "disturbance of or difficulty with orthographic-motor integration" (orthography is the storing process of written words and processing the letters in those words), and finger sequencing (the movement of muscles required to write (i.e. handwriting).
Dysgraphia can be also defined as a learning disability that affects writing abilities; one’s writing skills are below those expected given a person’s age measured through intelligence and age appropriate education. It can manifest itself as difficulties with spelling, poor handwriting and trouble putting thoughts on paper.
Dysgraphia often overlaps with other learning disabilities such as speech impairment, attention deficit disorder, or developmental coordination disorder.
RED FLAGS:
- Awkward tight pencil grip
- Abnormal body position while writing
- Poor handwriting
- Hating writing or drawing tasks
- Getting easily tired quickly while writing
- Saying words out loud while writing
- Unfinished or omitted words in sentences
- Difficulty organizing and getting thoughts on paper
- Difficulty with grammar (syntax) structure
- A wide discrepancy between written and oral ideas
EVALUATION:
Many of the children who are diagnosed with a developmental disorder experience difficulties with handwriting. These include those with problems with reading and spelling, those with attention issues, those who are poorly coordinated and those with disorders on the autistic spectrum, but a handwriting difficulty on its own is not sufficient to indicate the presence of one of these disorders. A full assessment by an interdisciplinary team composed of an educational or clinical psychologist or pediatric neurologist is needed for an accurate diagnosis. During this evaluation, the child's age and experience must be highly taken into consideration.
INTERVENTIONS STRATEGIES:
Students having problems with written expression can benefit from:
- Specific accommodations in the learning environment
- Providing alternatives to written expression
- Modifications: changing tasks to minimize or avoid the area of weakness
- Remediation: providing instruction for improving handwriting and writing skills.
- Additional practice to learn the skills required to improve his writing skills; perfect practice makes perfect.