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Dysgraphia

Jane Iannacconi

Criteria & Assessment Strategies for Dysgraphia

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Contents:

1. Definition

2. Types (4)

3. Interventions & Strategies

4. Levels of Interpretation

5. Additional Information

6. Reference

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Dysgraphia is a learning disability resulting from the difficulty in expressing

thoughts in writing and graphing.

Phonological Surface Mixed Semantic/Syntactic

Feifer’s 4 subtypes of Dysgraphia

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Phonological:

Writing and spelling disturbances in whichthe spelling of unfamiliar words, non-words,and phonetically irregular words are impaired.

These students tend to have trouble spelling by sounds and rely on the visual aspect of letters; therefore, becausespelling is an auditory task, they will have trouble with spelling tests.

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Surface:

Students have trouble with orthographic representationsof words, which makes the student rely too heavily on sound patterns; the opposite of phonological dysgraphia.

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Mixed:

Students having trouble with mixing up letter formations and having trouble with spelling tasks, a combination of the first twotypes. Recalling letter formations is hard forthese students to do because there are so many instructions or rules that they get confused and; therefore, have inconsistent spellingsof words.

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Semantic/Syntactic:

Students have difficulty with how words can be joined to make complete and comprehensive phrases.

An example of a second grade student’s handwriting with dysgraphia.

A second grade student’s handwriting who does not have a disability.

+Interventions & Strategies

Phonological Alphabetic Phonics

Making Words

Writing to Read

Cover-Write Method

Fernald Method

Visual Spelling

Surface

Musical Spelling

Language Experience Approach

CAST - Universal Design for Learning

Software Strategies

Mixed

Semantic/SyntacticWriting Skills for the Adolescent

Sentence Combining

CAST - Universal Design for Learning

Step Up to Writing - (Sopris West)

Software Strategies

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Levels of Interpretation

Subtest

Vocabulary

Similarities

Comprehension

Digit Span

Letter-number sequence

Picture concepts

Coding

Writing Sub-skill

General lexicon of words

Verbal flexibility

Verbal syntax

Working memory

Visual/verbal flexibility

Motor speed output

+ The Human Brain

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Additional Information and Strategies

http://www.ldinfo.com/dysgraphia.htm

http://sped.wikidot.com/strategies-for-students-with-dysgraphia

http://www.ldanatl.org/aboutld/parents/ld_basics/dysgraphia.asp

http://www.readingrockets.org/article/12770

http://www.ldonline.org/article/5890

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Crouch, A. L., & Jakubecy, J. J. (2007). Dysgraphia: How it affects a student’s performance and what can be done about it.

TEACHING Exceptional Children Plus, 3(3) Article 5. Retrieved from http://escholarship.bc.edu/education/tecplus/vol3/iss3/art5