Even with an unusual name for the majority of the population, dysgraphia is a difficulty faced by several people. It is a disorder that causes learning disorders . According to the psychopedagogue and child psychoanalyst, Deborah Ramos, the problem affects approximately 4% of Brazilians. “Extremely poor handwriting or difficulty in performing the motor movements necessary for writing”, are the main definitions of the problem, according to the expert.
On its official website , the psychopedagogue explains that there are two types of dysgraphia, the motor (discaligraphy) and the perceptual. In the first case, Deborah clarifies that “the individual can speak and read, but finds difficulties in fine motor coordination to write letters, words and numbers, that is, he sees the graphic figure, but he cannot correctly make the movements to write.”
When it comes to perceptual dysgraphia, “the individual is unable to relate the symbolic system and the spellings that represent sounds, words and phrases. It has the characteristics of dyslexia , which is associated with reading and dysgraphy is associated with writing “, differentiates the specialist.
This disorder is directly related to the difficulty of writing (Photo: depositphotos)
How does dysography arise?
However, regardless of the type of this problem, it arises in the individual through a dysfunction in the Central Nervous System (CNS) or through an injury acquired throughout life. “The dysfunction results in the abnormal development of the ability to write. As it is a CNS dysfunction, dysgraphia can affect all social classes and if the child does not receive the proper stimulation, the problem tends to get worse ”, warns the psychoanalyst.
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Dysgraphia symptoms
Taking into account the information provided by the psychopedagogue Deborah Ramos, the dysgraphia has some characteristics such as:
- Difficulty writing or writing marked by the combination of upper and lower case letters;
- Write letters with different formats, very close or incomplete;
- Use of exaggerated force or pressure at the time of writing;
- Compromised handwriting;
- Difficulty making copies;
- Exchange of letters with similar sounds;
- Incoherent additions in words;
- Incorrect fragmentation in words;
- Write words with missing letters, inversions, joins or confusion of syllables.
“The dysgraphic child has normal intellectual development. However, she is unable to produce culturally acceptable writing , and this ends up interfering in all of her academic production and performance ”, she adds.
See also: Ten tips for better writing
How to deal with this problem?
According to Deborah Ramos, when perceiving such signs both parents and the school need to take some actions. Promoting interventions in the individual’s life early is a way to mitigate the results of dysgraphia. For example, it is important for parents and teachers to avoid reprimanding mistakes and emphasize achievements.
At school, in turn, children with this problem can be encouraged to express themselves orally, but they must also be encouraged to produce different materials such as plastic arts.
In addition, the patient needs to “start psychopedagogical treatment that focuses on global linguistic stimulation and individualized care to complement the school”, recommends the specialist who exemplifies what the other roles of the school and parents would be: “to promote pleasant situations in which the child uses writing, how to write small messages, make invitations and write postcards; encourage the performance of activities such as contouring figures, painting within limits, connecting points, following dashes, among other exercises that encourage motor performance. ”
