Handwriting

It is important to note that not all students with handwriting difficulties have motor dysgraphia. There can be many reasons that children can struggle with their handwriting. The reason may be visual, cognitive, physical, sensory and emotional. A child with motor dysgraphia may have more difficulty with their letter formation, specifically producing legible letters that other people can read. This can interfere with spelling and/or written composition

Handwriting can appear simple once mastered! However it is a complex skill that requires motor performance and visual perceptual components. These components will include visual-motor skills, fine motor control, bilateral coordination, motor planning, postural control, core strength, sequencing, visual perceptual skills, eye-hand coordination and sensory awareness. To become proficient at handwriting, a child also needs to have a functional pencil grasp. Development of a pencil grasp often develops in the following stages:

• Palmar supinate grasp starts to develop approximately 1 to 1 1⁄2 years of age
• Digital pronate grasp starts to develop approximately 2 to 3 years of age
• Static tripod grasp starts to develop approximately 3 1⁄2 to 4 years of age
• Dynamic tripod grasp starts to develop approximately 4 1⁄2 to 5 years of age

The term dysgraphia comes from the Greek “dys” meaning “impaired” and “graphia” meaning “making letter forms by hand“. It is a disorder of writing ability and a deficiency in the ability to write. Children may present with a slower rate of writing, challenges with their spelling and construction and configuration of writing. Dysgraphia is classified as a learning disorder.

There are different types of dysgraphia. Occupational therapist can assist children with Motor dysgraphia. Motor dysgraphia is a difficulty with the motor component skills that a child needs to produce writing. A child with motor dysgraphia may be able to see the visual components of letters and number, but may have difficulty creating the motor components of movement required. This difficulty or hesitation in accessing appropriate letter shapes can affect writing speed and overall production involving shape and quality of letters.