Occupational therapy is most often used in treating dysgraphia in children, but some OTs work with adults as well. Occupational therapy might include
manipulating different materials to build hand and wrist strength, running letter formation drills
, and practicing cursive writing, which can be easier than printing.
Can you fix dysgraphia?
There's no cure for dysgraphia
. Treatment varies from child to child and depends on whether they have any other learning disabilities or health conditions. Medication used to treat ADHD has helped with dysgraphia in some kids who have both conditions.
Can ot help with dysgraphia?
Some kids with dysgraphia struggle with the physical act of writing.
Occupational therapy can often
help with this. Therapists can work to improve the hand strength and fine motor coordination needed to type and write by hand. They might also help kids learn the correct arm position and body posture for writing.
Can ot help with writing?
Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants are trained in helping children with a broad range of issues in addition to the
development of handwriting skills
, such as proper computer use, proper backpack use and behavioral problems.
How do you remediate dysgraphia?
Occupational therapy
is most often used in treating dysgraphia in children, but some OTs work with adults as well. Occupational therapy might include manipulating different materials to build hand and wrist strength, running letter formation drills, and practicing cursive writing, which can be easier than printing.
Can you outgrow dysgraphia?
Since so many adults with dysgraphia remain undiagnosed, it's difficult to estimate just how many are living with the condition. In children, the rate is often estimated between 4 and 20 percent — and since
dysgraphia can't be outgrown
, just as many adults are living with this learning disability.
At what age is dysgraphia diagnosed?
Therefore, DCD is commonly diagnosed
after age 5 years
, when the motor problems are becoming increasingly apparent (highlighted by the structured demands of the child' environment) and can no longer be attributed to a developmental delay.
How do you know if your child needs OT?
- Unable to concentrate and focus at school.
- Easily distracted.
- Difficulty following instructions and completing work.
- Tires easily with school work.
- Poor impulse control.
- Hyperactivity or low energy.
What type of writing do occupational therapists do?
Four types of writing will be addressed:
journal or reflective writing
, developing fact sheets or handouts, technical writing specific to the profession, and scholarly writing of research papers (i.e., professional summaries, research papers, etc.).
Does my child need OT for handwriting?
Writing requires visual coordination, core strength, fine motor skills, hand strength, and more. If your child has sloppy handwriting, has difficulty correctly forming letters or has trouble properly holding a pencil, they may benefit from
occupational therapy
for handwriting problems.
What teachers should know about dysgraphia?
- Allow extra time on written assignments.
- Allow speech-to-text tools, or teacher or peer scribes for written assignments.
- Allow students to write numeric formulas as opposed to math word problems.
- Provide a written copy of whiteboard notes.
How do you take notes with dysgraphia?
- Think outside the pencil box. Learning to write is incredibly hard for kids with dysgraphia. …
- Make writing count. …
- Give extra time. …
- Be flexible on spelling and grammar. …
- Teach good composition skills.
Does dysgraphia affect math?
Impact of dysgraphia doesn't limit to words and writing—it also
affects a students' ability to learn, apply, and communicate mathematics skills
. For instance, students with dysgraphia may have difficulty in learning place value, fractions, aligning numbers, organizing complex mathematics expressions and equations.
Does dysgraphia affect intelligence?
Fact: It's a myth that people with learning and attention issues have poor intelligence, and children with dysgraphia are no exception. In fact, kids with
dysgraphia usually have average or above-average intelligence
. They just struggle with writing down on paper what they know.
Is dysgraphia inherited?
Like other learning disabilities,
dysgraphia is highly genetic and often runs in families
. If you or another member of your family has dysgraphia, your child is more likely to have it, too.
What percentage of the population has dysgraphia?
It is a learning disability that affects children and adults, and interferes with practically all aspects of the writing process, including spelling, legibility, word spacing and sizing, and expression. It's estimated that
5 to 20 percent of all children
have some type of writing deficit like dysgraphia.
