NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Dysgraphia

Dysgraphia (or agraphia) is a deficiency in the ability to write, regardless of the ability to read, not due to intellectual impairment. People with dysgraphia often can write on some level, but often lack co-ordination, and may find other fine motor tasks such as tying shoes difficult. It often does not affect all fine motor skills. They can also lack basic spelling skills (having difficulties with p,q,b,d), and often will write the wrong word when trying to formulate thoughts (on paper). In childhood, the disorder generally emerges when they are first introduced to writing. They make inappropriately sized and spaced letters, or write wrong or misspelled words despite thorough instruction. Children with the disorder may have other learning disabilities; however, they usually have no social or other academic problems. Cases of dysgraphia in adults generally occur after some neurological trauma or it might be diagnosed in a person with Tourette syndrome, ADHD or an autism spectrum disorder such as Asperger's. The DSM IV identifies dysgraphia as a "Disorder of Written Expression" as "writing skills (that) ...are substantially below those expected given the person's ...age, measured intelligence, and age-appropriate education." The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems 10th Revision (ICD-10) is a coding of diseases and signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or diseases, as classified by the World Health Organization (WHO). ... // R00-R99 - Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R09) Symptoms and signs involving the circulatory and respiratory systems (R00) Abnormalities of heart beat (R000) Tachycardia, unspecified (R001) Bradycardia, unspecified (R002) Palpitations (R008) Other and unspecified abnormalities of heart beat (R01) Cardiac murmurs and other... The International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (most commonly known by the abbreviation ICD) provides codes to classify diseases and a wide variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social circumstances and external causes of injury or disease. ... The following is a list of codes for International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. ... Illustration of a scribe writing Writing, in its most common sense, is the preservation of and the preserved text on a medium, with the use of signs or symbols. ... Reading is a process of retrieving and comprehending some form of stored information or ideas. ... Developmental disability is a term used to describe life-long disabilities attributable to mental and/or physical or combination of mental and physical impairments, manifested prior to age twenty-two. ... Fine motor skills can be defined as small muscle movements which occur in the fingers, in coordination with the eyes. ... Neurology is a branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the nervous system. ... Tourette syndrome (also called Tourettes syndrome, Tourettes disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourettes or TS) is an inherited neurological disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these... DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ... Autistic spectrum, autism spectrum, autistic spectrum disorders, autism spectrum disorders and ASD are all synonymous designations for the more official terminology in DSM-IV and ICD-10, where the term Pervasive Developmental Disorders, ( PDD) is being used. ... Asperger described his patients as little professors. Aspergers syndrome (AS), is a pervasive developmental disorder commonly referred to as a form of high-functioning autism. ... The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) is a handbook for mental health professionals that lists different categories of mental disorder and the criteria for diagnosing them, according to the publishing organization the American Psychiatric Association. ...

The Cause

The cause of dysgraphia is unknown but whenever it occurs in an adult, it is usually caused by head trauma, some types of diseases or brain damage. When it is found in children there is a tendency for there to be multiple dysgraphics in his or her family. A parent or close relative of the child tend to also show signs of dysgraphia.

Types of dysgraphia

Dyslexic dysgraphia

With dyslexic dysgraphia, spontaneously written work is illegible, copied work is fairly good, and spelling is bad. Finger tapping speed (a method for identifying fine motor problems) is normal, indicating the deficit does not likely stem from cerebellar damage. A dyslexic dysgraphic does not necessarily have dyslexia. (Dyslexia and dysgraphia appear to be unrelated but are often comorbid.)^{[citation needed]} Dyslexia is a syndrome in which a persons reading and/or writing ability is significantly lower than that which would be predicted by his or her general level of intelligence. ... The cerebellum (Latin: little brain) is a region of the brain that plays an important role in the integration of sensory perception and motor output. ...

Motor dysgraphia

Motor dysgraphia is due to deficient fine motor skills, poor dexterity, poor muscle tone, and/or unspecified motor clumsiness. Generally, written work is poor to illegible, even if copied by sight from another document. Letter formation may be acceptable in very short samples of writing, but this requires extreme effort and an unreasonable amount of time to accomplish, and cannot be sustained for a significant length of time. Writing is often slanted due to holding a pen or pencil incorrectly. Spelling skills are not impaired. Finger tapping speed results are below normal. Fine motor skills can be defined as small muscle movements which occur in the fingers, in coordination with the eyes. ... A little dexterity is helpful in working with knitting needles Look up dexterity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Bodybuilder showing highly developed muscle tone. ...

Spatial dysgraphia

Dysgraphia due to a defect in the understanding of space has illegible spontaneously written work, illegible copied work, but normal spelling and normal tapping speed.

Some children may have a combination of any two or all three of these. Symptoms in actuality may vary in presentation from what is listed here.

Symptoms of dysgraphia

A mixture of upper/lower case letters, irregular letter sizes and shapes, unfinished letters, struggle to use writing as a communications tool, odd writing grip, many spelling mistakes (sometimes), pain when writing, decreased or increased speed of writing and copying, talks to self while writing, muscle spasms in the arm and shoulder(sometimes in the rest of the body), inability to flex(sometimes move) the arm (creating an L like shape), and general illegibility. Reluctance or refusal to complete writing tasks.

Lesser known symptoms of dysgraphia

Pain while writing

Many people who are dysgraphic will experience pain while writing. The pain usually starts in the center of the forearm and then spreads along the nervous system to the entire body. This pain can get worse or even appear when a dysgraphic is stressed. Few people who do not have dysgraphia know about this, because many with dysgraphia will not mention it to anyone. There are a few reasons why pain while writing is rarely mentioned:

Common problems that are often associated with dysgraphia

Stress

There are some common problems not related to dysgraphia but often associated with dysgraphia, the most common of which is stress. Often children (and adults) with dysgraphia will become extremely frustrated with the task of writing (and spelling); younger children may cry or refuse to complete written assignments. This frustration can cause the child (or adult) a great deal of stress and can lead to stress related illnesses. Other common environmental sources of stress in the classroom setting are (a) high levels of environmental noise, and (b) over-illumination. This can be a result of any symptom of dysgraphia. Environmental noise can produce irreversible hearing loss Noise health effects, the collection of health consequences of elevated sound levels, constitute one of the most widespread public health threats in industrialized countries. ... This cosmetics store has lighting levels over twice recommended levels and sufficient to trigger headaches and other health effects Over-illumination is the presence of lighting intensity (illuminance) beyond that required for a specified activity. ...

Treatment

Treatment for dysgraphia varies and may include treatment for motor disorders to help control writing movements. Other treatments may address impaired memory or other neurological problems. Some physicians recommend that individuals with dysgraphia use computers to avoid the problems of handwriting.

Occupational therapy could be considered to strengthen muscle tone, improve dexterity, and evaluate eye-hand coordination. Dysgraphic children should also be evaluated for ambidexterity, which can delay fine motor skills in early childhood.

Often small things can help a student with Dysgraphia, such as allowing them to use a preferred writing utensil or allowing them to submit typed work instead of hand written documents.

Suggestions for Teachers and Parents: - Use jumbo pencils (and grips for new writers) - Use pre-lined paper that has yellow highlighting where the words are supposed to go (available in packs) - Allow students extra time to complete in-class assignments; otherwise they won't get the benefit of the instructional practice - Get students keyboarding early on; they can start on an Alphasmart word processor - Allow children to dictate to an adult; they can then recopy if necessary - Allow children to dictate into a tape recorder; they or an adult can transcribe later-this allows the creative output process to occur without being stopped by the execution problem. - Have compassion and know that this issue has nothing to do with intelligence or behavior!

See also

In the United States and Canada, the term learning disability (LD) is used to refer to a range of neurological conditions that affect one or more of the ways that a person takes in, stores, or uses information. ... Alexia without agraphia is a form of alexia which involves an infact to the posterior cerebral artery (which perfuses the splenium of the corpus callosum, among other things). ...

References

Background The International Dyslexia Association (IDA) is a non-profit organization. ...

External links

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The diagnostic category pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), as opposed to specific developmental disorders (SDD), refers to a group of disorders characterized by delays in the development of multiple basic functions including socialization and communication. ... Autism is a brain development disorder that shows symptoms before a child is three years old and has a steady course with no remission. ... A woman with Retts Syndrome Rett syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is classified as a pervasive developmental disorder by the DSM-IV. Many [1] argue that this is a mis-classification just as it would be to include such disorders as fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, or Down... Asperger syndrome (also referred to as Aspergers syndrome, Aspergers disorder, Aspergers, or AS) is one of five neurobiological pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), and is characterized by deficiencies in social and communication skills, normal to above normal intelligence,[1] and standard language development. ... Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) previously known as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), is generally considered to be a developmental disorder, largely neurological in nature, affecting about 5% of the worlds population. ... In psychiatry, conduct disorder is a pattern of repetitive behavior where the rights of others or the social norms are violated. ... 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Tourette syndrome (also called Tourettes syndrome, Tourettes disorder, Gilles de la Tourette syndrome, GTS or, more commonly, simply Tourettes or TS) is an inherited neurological disorder with onset in childhood, characterized by the presence of multiple physical (motor) tics and at least one vocal (phonic) tic; these... Speech disorders or speech impediments, as they are also called, are a type of communication disorders where normal speech is disrupted. ... Stuttering, also known as stammering in the United Kingdom, is a speech disorder in which the flow of speech is disrupted by involuntary repetitions and prolongations of sounds, syllables, words or phrases; and involuntary silent pauses or blocks in which the stutterer is unable to produce sounds. ... Cluttering (also called tachyphemia) is a communicative disorder characterized by speech that is difficult for listeners to understand due to rapid speaking rate, erratic rhythm, poor syntax or grammar, and words or groups of words unrelated to the sentence. ... The term symptom (from the Greek meaning chance, mishap or casualty, itself derived from ÏƒÏ…Î¼Ï€Î¹Ï€Ï„Ï‰ meaning to fall upon or to happen to) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: Strictly, a symptom is a sensation or change in health function experienced by a patient. ... In medicine, a sign is a feature of disease as detected by the doctor during physical examination of a patient. ... // R00-R99 - Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified (R00-R09) Symptoms and signs involving the circulatory and respiratory systems (R00) Abnormalities of heart beat (R000) Tachycardia, unspecified (R001) Bradycardia, unspecified (R002) Palpitations (R008) Other and unspecified abnormalities of heart beat (R01) Cardiac murmurs and other... Diagram of the human circulatory system. ... The Respiratory System Among four-legged animals, the respiratory system generally includes tubes, such as the bronchi, used to carry air to the lungs, where gas exchange takes place. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Bradycardia, as applied to adult medicine, is defined as a resting heart rate of under 60 beats per minute, though it is seldom symptomatic until the rate drops below 50 beat/min. ... 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The Human Nervous System A human being coordinates its nervous system, the activity of the muscles, monitors the organs, constructs and also stops input from the senses, and initiates actions. ... The musculoskeletal system is an organ system that gives animals the ability to physically move, by using the muscles and skeletal system. ... For the film see Tremors (film). ... A spasm is a sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle, a group of muscles, or a hollow organ, or a similarly sudden contraction of an orifice. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Twitching. ... Athetosis is a continuous stream of slow, sinuous, writhing movements, typically of the hands and feet. ... Persons suffering from peripheral neuropathy experience numbness and tingling in their hands and feet. ... For other uses, see Ataxia (disambiguation). ... Dysmetria (Greek: dificult to measure) is a symptom exhibited by patients after cerebellar injury. ... Dysdiadochokinesia is the medical term for an inability to perform rapid, alternating movements. ... Hypotonia is a condition of abnormally low muscle tone (the amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle), often involving reduced muscle strength. ... Diseases and other conditions that increase action potential frequency cause unwanted contraction of muscles. ... Meningism is the triad of nuchal rigidity, photophobia (intolerance of bright light) and headache. ... Hyperreflexia is defined as overactive or overresponsive reflexes. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Excretory system. ... In medicine, specifically urology, dysuria refers to any difficulty in urination. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia. ... Urinary retention also known as ischuria is a lack of ability to urinate. ... Oliguria and anuria are the decreased or absent production of urine, respectively. ... Polyuria is the passage of a large volume of urine in a given period. ... Nocturia is the need to get up during the night in order to urinate, thus interrupting sleep. ... Look up Cognition in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In psychology and the cognitive sciences, perception is the process of acquiring, interpreting, selecting, and organizing sensory information. ... In psychology and common terminology, emotion is the language of a persons internal state of being, normally based in or tied to their internal (physical) and external (social) sensory feeling. ... Behavior or behaviour refers to the actions or reactions of an object or organism, usually in relation to the environment. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Somnolence (or drowsiness) is a state of near-sleep, a strong desire for sleep, or sleeping for unusually long periods. ... In medicine, a coma (from the Greek koma, meaning deep sleep) is a profound state of unconsciousness. ... Amnesia (from Greek ) (see spelling differences) is a condition in which memory is disturbed. ... Anterograde amnesia is a form of amnesia, or memory loss, where new events are not transferred to long-term memory. ... Retrograde amnesia is a form of amnesia where someone will be unable to recall events that occurred before the onset of amnesia. ... // Pre-syncope is a sensation of feeling faint. ... Anosmia is the lack of olfaction, or a loss of the ability to smell. ... Ageusia (pronounced ay-GOO-see-uh) is the loss of taste functions of the tongue, particularly the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and saltiness. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... Parageusia is the medical term for a bad taste in the mouth. ... Speech communication is the aural form of transferring ideas, thoughts, instructions and/or directives utilizing the speakers vocal chords and mouth to stimulate the air, thus causing waves of sound to strike the audible receptors of the hearer, resulting in a transformation back into mental images and/or symbols... The word voice can be used to refer to: Sound: The human voice. ... Speech disorders or speech impediments, as they are also called, are a type of communication disorders where normal speech is disrupted. ... Dysphasia is a speech disorder in which there is an impairment of speech and of comprehension of speech. ... Look up aphasia in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Look up dysarthria in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about developmental dyslexia. ... Alexia (from the Greek , privative, expressing negation, and = word) is an acquired type of sensory aphasia where damage to the brain causes a patient to lose the ability to read. ... Agnosia (a-gnosis, non-knowledge) is a loss of ability to recognize objects, persons, sounds, shapes or smells while the specific sense is not defective nor is there any significant memory loss. ... Apraxia is a neurological disorder characterized by loss of the ability to execute or carry out learned (familiar) movements, despite having the desire and the physical ability to perform the movements. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Speech disorders or speech impediments, as they are also called, are a type of communication disorders where normal speech is disrupted. ... Lisp may mean: Lisp programming language Lisp (speech) This is a disambiguation page â€” a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Aphasia is a loss or impairment of the ability to produce or comprehend language, due to brain damage. ... The term symptom (from the Greek meaning chance, mishap or casualty, itself derived from ÏƒÏ…Î¼Ï€Î¹Ï€Ï„Ï‰ meaning to fall upon or to happen to) has two similar meanings in the context of physical and mental health: Strictly, a symptom is a sensation or change in health function experienced by a patient. ... In medicine, a sign is a feature of disease as detected by the doctor during physical examination of a patient. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... In medicine, hyperpyrexia is an excessive and unusual elevation of body temperature above 107. ... A headache (cephalalgia in medical terminology) is a condition of pain in the head; sometimes neck or upper back pain may also be interpreted as a headache. ... Chronic pain was originally defined as pain that has lasted 6 months or longer. ... Malaise is a feeling of general discomfort or uneasiness, an out of sorts feeling, often the first indication of an infection or other disease. ... â€œFatigue (physical)â€ redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Central Ischaemic Response be merged into this article or section. ... Vasovagal syncope is the most common cause of syncope, also known as fainting. ... A febrile seizure, also known as a fever fit or febrile convulsion is a generalized convulsion caused by elevated body temperature. ... This article is about the medical condition. ... Cardiogenic shock is based upon an inadequate circulation of blood due to primary failure of the ventricles of the heart to function effectively. ... This page is about the condition called edema. ... Peripheral edema ... Anasarca is a medical symptom characterised by widespread swelling of the skin due to effusion of fluid into the extracellular space. ... Primary hyperhidrosis is the condition characterized by abnormally increased perspiration, in excess of that required for regulation of body temperature. ... Sleep hyperhidrosis, more commonly known as the night sweats, is the occurrence of excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis) during sleep. ... The term Delayed milestone (or developmental delays) is used to describe the condition where a child does not reach one of these stages at the expected age. ... Failure to thrive is a medical term which denotes poor weight gain and physical growth failure over an extended period of time in infancy. ... Anorexia (deriving from the Greek Î±(Î½)- (a(n)-, a prefix that denotes absence) + ÏŒÏÎµÎ¾Î· (orexe) = appetite) is the decreased sensation of appetite. ... Polydipsia is a medical condition in which the patient ingests abnormally large amounts of fluids by mouth. ... Phagy or phagia is an ecological term that is used to identify particular nutritional systems. ... Xerostomia is the medical term for a dry mouth due to a lack of saliva. ... Clubbing is also used to refer to the activity of gathering socially at nightclubs. ...

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