Henry Montero, LMHC, CASAC-2, CTTS
Alquimedez Mental Health Counseling
1154 E. Tremont Ave Bronx, NY 10460-2452
Tel: 718-664-7679
www.alquimedez.com
Email: info@alquimedez.com
Twitter: @henmontero
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Dysgraphia is a learning disability that affects an individual’s capacity to process the written expression. Typically, children with dysgraphia have difficulty spelling and handwriting. Anything that must be put on paper poses trouble for children and adults. Dysgraphia can be either language-based or non-language based as well.
Although children develop their handwriting with time and in plenty of cases, it can be considered poor; dysgraphia is considerably more severe than that. The mental health issue is a neurological disorder that manifests itself when children first learn how to write.
Symptoms
Like we alluded to earlier, plenty of children develop messy handwriting. This is, in fact, the first sign of dysgraphia. Other symptoms of the learning disability include issues forming letters and being unable to space these letters properly on the page.
Writing in a straight line can pose an issue while the size of letters may vary too. Even something as trivial as holding a piece of paper with one hand and writing with the other can become a problem. Moreover, losing control while holding a pencil and putting the necessary pressure on it while writing is other concerns for children with dysgraphia.
Diagnosis
Pediatricians are responsible for detecting dysgraphia in children. They must carry out comprehensive tests to rule out other deficiencies and narrow it down to dysgraphia. A trained psychologist can prove quite useful in this regard. They will give children different writing tests to assess their thought pattern and motor skills.
For example, doctors may ask children just to tap their fingers or turn their wrist in a particular way. In total, doctors will analyze the child’s finished work, the position of their hand and body in general, how they grip the pencil, their posture and of course, their writing process.
Types
Now that we’ve discussed the signs of dysgraphia and how doctors diagnose the learning disability, we can look at the types of dysgraphia as well. In total, there are three main types. One of these deficiencies is called dyslexic dysgraphia. In this type, a child’s ability to write spontaneously as in their capability of writing without any copying or tracing is adversely affected by the ailment.
In the vast majority of cases, their writing is essentially illegible and the longer they continue to write, the messier it becomes. Also, their ability to spell properly (both orally and in writing) is lackluster.
However, children with dysgraphia can draw and cope perfectly well. Also, it must be noted that their finger tapping speed, as well as their motor skills, are normal too.
The second type is called motor dysgraphia. As the name implies, it affects a child’s motor skills. Therefore, they cannot tap their fingers with ease, and regardless of what they write, it is illegible. Their drawings and tracings are also impacted.
Lastly, we have spatial dysgraphia. This influences the link between their writing and the medium on which they write. All kinds of handwriting are not proper although their finger tapping and spellings are normal.