Smart look up
- Dysgraphia refers to trouble writing (messy writing, immature drawing or colouring)
- Learners with dysgraphia may be able to talk about their ideas, but have a challenge in putting those thoughts or ideas on paper
- A learner who presents dysgraphia is not ‘dumb’ but only learns and shares ideas with a different approach.
Last week’s article, the first of a six-part series to help facilitators and parents manage learning difficulties or different learning styles in children tackled Dyslexia (https://thebftonline.com/2022/10/18/academic-diary-with-dzifa-managing-dyslexia/) and how to manage it.
This week the focus is on Dysgraphia. Dysgraphia refers to learning difficulty or style in written expression, handwriting and spelling. Learners with dysgraphia may be vocal about their ideas but may have a challenge to either express themselves in writing, spelling, writing or in all three areas.
Learners with dysgraphia may be able to talk about their ideas, but have difficulties with the mechanics of handwriting (motor-based dysgraphia) and organising and expressing their ideas in writing (language-based dysgraphia).
Dysgraphia may present itself in various forms at the different levels of a child’s education. Even though the signs may begin as early as in pre-school, research has it that in lower primary the signs may include but not limited to poorly formed letters; awkward pencil grip; immature drawing and colouring; good reading but poor writing skills; avoiding writing, drawing or colouring tasks; immature drawing and colouring; poor spacing and sizing of letters and words in handwriting.
In upper primary, the signs may include: seeing writing as hard work and being slow at it, finding the process of writing as difficult and tiring, immature handwriting, and poor sentence and paragraph structure.
In secondary school, signs may also comprise: illegible handwriting, slower handwriting pace and difficulty in expressing thoughts through written words.
The process of managing the challenge
- Concentrate on feeling not seeing
Taking away one sense experience often heightens the others. Experts advise trying activities that help the learner focus on feeling, not seeing, how a letter is formed.
For example, use your finger to trace a letter on the learner’s back. Or he can close his eyes while you trace a letter on his palm. Then see if he can reproduce that letter on your back or on a piece of paper.
You can make things more challenging by writing a capital letter and asking him to write it as a lowercase one, or vice versa.
- Big and bold letters
Learners with dysgraphia usually have trouble remembering how to form letters correctly. One way therapists make the process more memorable is by having the learner use multi-sensory materials.
At home, young learners can spray big shaving cream letters on the tile wall at bath time. Or they can smoothen out the cream on the tile and write letters in the foam. They can practice making letters in a plastic bag of damp sand. Adding sand to finger paint is another way to increase sensory input.
- Use clay
Clay is a wonderfully versatile medium. It is dense, responsive and mistakes can disappear with just a pinch.
Roll clay into ropes and practice making letters with your child. It builds hand strength and reinforces the shapes of letters in the learner’s mind. You can also encourage the use of play dough.
You can also place a smooth layer of clay or play dough on a sheet or table. Then invite the learner to etch letters into the surface with a pencil. The clay provides sensory feedback which gives more information to the brain about how the letters are formed.
- Pinching is great
Holding a pencil properly is a challenge for many learners with writing difficulties. A learner can strengthen his fingers and improve his ‘pencil grip’ using ‘pinching’ tools found around the house. These include tweezers, pegs, clippers, child scissors and ice tongs.
The tossing game may also be beneficial. To do this, toss pieces of cereal, balled-up scraps of paper, or small pencil erasers onto a tabletop. Then see how many you and your learner can pick up with a pinching tool in a minute. You can also play a board game and use pinching tools to move the playing pieces.
- Cross-body training
For a learner to write properly, both sides of his body need to work together: One arm holds the paper stable. The other does the actual pencil work.
Any activity that encourages coordinated movement on both sides of the body provides good reinforcement. This includes crafts that use scissors: One hand holds, the other cuts.
Physical exercises that require cross-body coordination are helpful, too. See if your child will give windmills, jumping jacks, touching alternate toes, and mountain climbers a whirl before sitting down to write.
- Build strength and stability
Writing may not seem physically demanding. But sitting properly and controlling pencil and paper require muscle strength and stability in the shoulders and core.
Activities that condition these areas can help. These include planks, push-ups, wheelbarrow walking, crab walking, shooting baskets, hanging from monkey bars and rope climbing. Even reading while lying tummy-down on the floor builds strength.
So set aside time for the learner to include activities like these in his day. He can do them at a local gym, at the playground, or right in your own backyard or playroom.
- Practice ‘organised’ storytelling
A learner with language-based dysgraphia often has trouble organising his/her thoughts. You can help this kind of learner by practising structured storytelling.
At playtime, ask him to tell you about his day. Have him start with an introduction, then ask him to describe what he did in the morning, the afternoon and the evening. Then he can wrap things up with how the day went overall.
You can use this approach with just about any experience the learner wants to share with you.
- Speak it first
Learners with dysgraphia may be overflowing with great ideas. But putting those ideas into written words can be an infuriating hurdle for them.
Encourage or assist the learner to record himself (on a smartphone or other device) while he talks through his thoughts or the story he would like to tell. He can then play the recording back when he sits down to write. This can be helpful and a confidence-boosting tool.
Do you remember?
Dysgraphia, whether motor-based or language-based, requires motor and information processing skills which come in the form of everyday practise of simple activities and exercises that reinforces condition and fosters coordination of the learner’s senses.
