Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

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Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

• Dysgraphia comes from the Greek words for poor
  and writing. It is the term applied to those
  whose difficulties are confined to the fine motor
  skills required for handwriting.

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Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

• Dyspraxia comes from two Greek words dys
  meaning poor and praxis meaning movement. It
  is an impairment or immaturity of the
  organisation of movement and motor co-ordination.

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Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

• Those with dyspraxia are often described as
  clumsy. They may have little sense of direction.
  Dyspraxia can affect balance control. Poor visual
  spatial skills can affect fine motor tasks,
  such as the way letters are formed and writing is
  presented. Dyspraxia can affect verbal skills as
  students search for the right words or sequence
  of words.

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Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

• Dyspraxia/dysgraphia affects approximately 2 in
  every 100 people, with males identified four
  times more than females. It may accompany
  dyslexia or another disability, although those
  with dyspraxia/dysgraphia may also be very
  capable at reading and writing. The D.D.A.
  acknowledges dyspraxia/dysgraphia as an example
  of a specific learning difficulty

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Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

• IMPLICATIONS FOR LEARNING
• Gross motor skills
• Students often have difficulty with balance or
  other gross motor skills such as throwing or
  catching. Students may drop objects when asked to
  hold them.

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Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

• Fine motor skills
• These may be seriously impaired, affecting
  drawing, writing and related tasks. Students with
  dyspraxia will have difficulty using scissors, or
  pressing the keys on a small calculator.

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Dyspraxia and Dysgraphia

• Handwriting
• Handwriting quality deteriorates rapidly during
  long written tasks. Pen grip may be fierce and as
  a result the wrist soon aches.