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Childhood dysgraphia. Part 2. A study of hand function
1Community Child Health and Paediatric Neurology, Lothian Health Board, Edinburgh.
Insights
Children experiencing academic difficulties often have specific dysgraphia, a writing disorder. This study highlights motor performance and family history as key indicators for identifying dysgraphia in pediatric neurology patients.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Many children struggle with academic progress, prompting evaluation by pediatric neurology services.
- Specific dysgraphia, a disorder affecting writing skills, is a significant factor in academic underachievement.
- Understanding the characteristics of dysgraphia is crucial for early identification and intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of specific dysgraphia in children referred to a pediatric neurology service.
- To identify distinguishing features among different types of dysgraphia (developmental spelling, acquired spelling, motor).
- To explore the relationship between hand function, handedness, speech development, and dysgraphia.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 66 children presenting with academic difficulties was studied over two years.
- Data collection involved structured parental interviews and comprehensive neurodevelopmental examinations, including detailed hand function assessments.
- Statistical analysis was used to compare characteristics across different dysgraphia subgroups.
Main Results:
- Specific dysgraphia was identified in 39% of the children, with a notable male predominance.
- Developmental spelling dysgraphia was often associated with a family history of written language difficulties, unlike acquired or motor dysgraphia.
- Slow speech development was common in both developmental and acquired spelling dysgraphia. Mixed-handedness was more frequent in acquired dysgraphia.
- While grip strength was not a distinguishing factor, impaired motor performance (finger movements, hand pats) was observed in children with spelling or motor dysgraphia.
Conclusions:
- Specific dysgraphia is a prevalent issue among children with unexplained academic underachievement.
- Distinct clinical features differentiate subtypes of dysgraphia, aiding in targeted diagnosis.
- Simple motor performance tests can effectively identify hand skill deficits relevant to dysgraphia in children.
Abstract:
Sixty-six children were studied who had presented to the paediatric neurology service over a 2-year period, because they were failing to make the expected progress in mainstream school. Their parents were interviewed with a structured questionnaire and the children had a full neurodevelopmental examination which included a detailed assessment of hand function. Thirty-nine per cent of the children had a specific dysgraphia and there was a male predominance. The different populations of affected children had distinguishing characteristics. A family history of written language skill difficulties was elicited for most of the children with a developmental spelling dysgraphia, but it was uncommon in the children with an acquired spelling dysgraphia or motor dysgraphia. Slow speech development occurred frequently in developmental and acquired spelling dysgraphic children. Mixed handedness was significantly commoner in dysgraphic children who had acquired problems (P less than 0.05), whereas handedness in the developmental groups was within the expected normal distribution. Aspects of hand function such as power of hand grip did not distinguish the dysgraphic children. However, children with a spelling or motor dysgraphia had speeds of motor performance on successive finger movements and rapid hand pats outwith the normal range. These simple tests are a useful way of examining pertinent handskill difficulties in dysgraphic children.