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Van Heuverswyn E, Gosse C, Van Reybroeck M. Handwriting difficulties in children with dyslexia: Poorer legibility in dictation and alphabet tasks, slowness in the alphabet task. DYSLEXIA (CHICHESTER, ENGLAND) 2024; 30:e1767. [PMID: 38684454 DOI: 10.1002/dys.1767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Several studies have shown that children with dyslexia (DYS), in addition to their reading and spelling deficits, encounter handwriting difficulties that are still poorly understood in terms of their nature and origin. The present study aimed to better understand the handwriting difficulties of children with DYS by comparing their handwriting quality and speed in two tasks, a dictation task and an alphabet task, which required fewer spelling skills than the dictation task. Twenty-nine French-speaking children (Mage = 9.5 years) participated in the study, including 18 children with DYS and nine typically developing (TD) children matched on chronological age. The children performed control tasks, a dictation task with words varying in graphic and orthographic complexity and an alphabet writing task. Accuracy, handwriting quality (legibility), and fluency (speed, writing and pause time) were carefully measured using a digital tablet. GLMM analysis and t tests showed that children with DYS made more aesthetic errors (handwriting quality) in both the dictation and alphabet task than TD children. They also wrote more slowly than TD children in the alphabet task (speed, pause time). These findings suggest that children with DYS present handwriting difficulties, even in a simple alphabet task. In dictation, they seem to favour speed at the expense of handwriting quality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Claire Gosse
- Psychological Sciences Research Institute, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
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Jolly C, Jover M, Danna J. Dysgraphia Differs Between Children With Developmental Coordination Disorder and/or Reading Disorder. JOURNAL OF LEARNING DISABILITIES 2024:222194231223528. [PMID: 38284390 DOI: 10.1177/00222194231223528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
Handwriting deficits, or dysgraphia, are present in several neurodevelopmental disorders. To investigate whether dysgraphia differs according to the associated disorder, we performed a detailed analysis of handwriting in children with developmental coordination disorders (DCD), reading disorder (RD), or comorbid RD and DCD. Handwriting deficits were investigated at the product (quality of the trace) and the process (movement that generates the trace) levels. Nineteen children with singular RD (among which eight with dysgraphia), 13 children with singular DCD (among which seven with dysgraphia), 16 children with comorbid RD+DCD (among which 11 with dysgraphia), and 20 typically developing children, age 7 to 12, performed the BHK (Brave Handwriting Kinder) test, a standardized assessment of handwriting, on a graphic tablet. Developmental coordination disorders primarily affected handwriting quality, while RD affected slowness and, to a lesser extent, quality. Children with RD, solely or comorbid with DCD, wasted time by lifting and stopping the pen when writing. The comorbidity added to but did not worsen, handwriting difficulties. These results reflect distinct motor impairments and/or strategies in children with DCD or RD. We identified subtypes of dysgraphia and advocated for a fine-grained analysis of the writing process and the assessment of motor and reading skills when studying dysgraphia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Jolly
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Université Savoie Mont-Blanc, CNRS, LPNC, France
| | - Marianne Jover
- Aix Marseille Université, PSYCLE, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Jérémy Danna
- Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, LNC, Marseille, France
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de Assis Leão SES, Menezes Lage G, Pedra de Souza R, Holanda Marinho Nogueira NGD, Vieira Pinheiro ÂM. Working Memory and Manual Dexterity in Dyslexic Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Dev Neuropsychol 2023; 48:1-30. [PMID: 36576148 DOI: 10.1080/87565641.2022.2157833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Dyslexic children have impairments in working memory and manual dexterity. Studies have shown that when cognitive development has deficits, motor development is often impaired, indicating a strong interconnection between both domains, and the possibility of interference with each other's proper functioning. Thus, a new literature review is necessary to understand which components of working memory and manual dexterity are affected in dyslexic children and the possible relationship between them. This review aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to analyze both skills in dyslexic children. The protocol was carried out according to the criteria established by PRISMA being registered at PROSPERO under number CRD 42021238901. Six literature databases were searched to locate studies published between 2001 and 2021: EMBASE, ERIC, ISI Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus. 21 studies met the inclusion criteria. The findings suggest that dyslexic children have significantly poorer visuospatial and verbal working memory with more impairments in the phonological loop. No significant differences were found in manual dexterity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Guilherme Menezes Lage
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.,Escola de Educação Física, Fisioterapia e Terapia Ocupacional, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Renan Pedra de Souza
- Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
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Li-Tsang CW, Li TM, Yang C, Cheung PP, Au K, Chan Y, Cheung K, Ho K, Kwok K, Leung HW. Evaluation of a group-based sensorimotor intervention programme to improve Chinese handwriting of primary school students. Heliyon 2022; 9:e12554. [PMID: 36816238 PMCID: PMC9932709 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e12554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Sensorimotor performance is influential in Chinese handwriting, but few studies have examined the efficacy of sensorimotor-based interventions on Chinese handwriting among primary school students with poor handwriting performance. The study aims to evaluate a sensorimotor-based intervention to improve handwriting in the mainstream primary schools. Methods This study adopted a two-group pretest-posttest design. An 8-session group-based sensorimotor intervention was delivered to school-aged children (mean age = 8.1, 68% male). Group A had 2 sessions every week, while Group B had 4 sessions every week. Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used to test the effects. Results The intervention had a significant time effect (p < .05) in terms of improving handwriting process (d = 0.33-1.10), manual dexterity (d = 0.57), visual memory (d = 0.70), visual-spatial perception (d = 0.37), and motor and postural skills (d = 0.73). The effect sizes ranged from medium to large. For the handwriting process, time per character had a significant group × time interaction, with post hoc analysis showing that Group A had a significantly large effect (d = 1.89, p < .001) while Group B did not. Conclusions The group-based sensorimotor intervention programme appeared to show improvements in students with fair skills in writing Chinese characters. It appears that the effect is better if the training sessions are spaced out in one month rather than intensively conducted within two weeks. It might be related to more involvement from parents, and students need more time for practice after the training sessions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia W.P. Li-Tsang
- Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong,Corresponding author.
| | - Tim M.H. Li
- Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | - C.N. Yang
- Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
| | | | - K.Y. Au
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Y.P. Chan
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - K.Y. Cheung
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - K.H. Ho
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - K.W. Kwok
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
| | - Howard W.H. Leung
- Department of Computer Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
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Lenhard A, Daseking M. Accounting for Intraindividual Profiles in the Wechsler Intelligence Scales Improves the Prediction of School Performance. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 9:children9111635. [PMID: 36360363 PMCID: PMC9688719 DOI: 10.3390/children9111635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 10/18/2022] [Accepted: 10/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
IQ scores are often used to predict school performance. However, for children with learning disabilities, the predictive validity of IQ scores appears to be low. In the fourth and fifth versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales for Children (WISC), new ancillary indices were introduced. The General Ability Index (GAI) is a broad measure of fluid reasoning with verbal, visual-spatial, and figural test items. By contrast, the Cognitive Proficiency Index (CPI) combines different executive functions known to be frequently affected in children with dyslexia, ADHD, or combined learning disorders. To date, there is little evidence to demonstrate that these measures improve the prediction of school performance beyond the Full-scale IQ (FSIQ). We therefore used lasso regression to explore the predictive validity of these measures for school grades. The analyzed samples were taken from the German standardization samples of the WISC-IV and the WISC-V. In most cases, the prediction of school performance was not considerably improved by taking the GAI or the CPI into account. However, when the individual discrepancy between the CPI and the GAI was high, the FSIQ lost its predictive validity in elementary school. In this subgroup of children, reading and writing skills were best predicted by the CPI, whereas math skills were limited by the lowest score (i.e., the minimum out of the CPI and the GAI).
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Monika Daseking
- Department of Educational Psychology, Helmut-Schmidt-Universität/University of the Federal Armed Forces Hamburg, 22043 Hamburg, Germany
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-40-6541-2976
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Saletta Fitzgibbons M. The Interface Between Reading and Handwriting. Front Psychol 2022; 13:892913. [PMID: 35874341 PMCID: PMC9298537 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.892913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Liu Z, Li J, Bi HY, Xu M, Yang Y. Disruption of Functional Brain Networks Underlies the Handwriting Deficit in Children With Developmental Dyslexia. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:919440. [PMID: 35924227 PMCID: PMC9339653 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.919440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a neurological-based learning disorder that affects 5-17.5% of children. Handwriting difficulty is a prevailing symptom of dyslexia, but its neural mechanisms remain elusive. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study examined functional brain networks associated with handwriting in a copying task in Chinese children with DD (n = 17) and age-matched children (n = 36). We found that dyslexics showed reduced network connectivity between the sensory-motor network (SMN) and the visual network (VN), and between the default mode network (DMN) and the ventral attention network (VAN) during handwriting, but not during drawing geometric figures. Moreover, the connectivity strength of the networks showing group differences was correlated with handwriting speed, reading and working memory, suggesting that the handwriting deficit in DD is linked with disruption of a large-scale brain network supporting motoric, linguistic and executive control processes. Taken together, this study demonstrates the alternations of functional brain networks that underly the handwriting deficit in Chinese dyslexia, providing a new clue for the neural basis of DD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhengyan Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Center for Brain Science and Learning Difficulties, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Junjun Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Center for Brain Science and Learning Difficulties, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hong-Yan Bi
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Center for Brain Science and Learning Difficulties, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Min Xu
- Center for Brain Disorders and Cognitive Sciences, School of Psychology, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, China
- *Correspondence: Min Xu,
| | - Yang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Center for Brain Science and Learning Difficulties, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Yang Yang,
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Evidence of Altered Functional Connectivity at Rest in the Writing Network of Children with Dyslexia. Brain Sci 2022; 12:brainsci12020243. [PMID: 35204006 PMCID: PMC8869855 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci12020243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Aim. Handwriting abilities in children with dyslexia (DYS) are not well documented in the current literature, and the presence of graphomotor impairment in addition to spelling impairment in dyslexia is controversial. Using resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC), the present study aims to answer the following question: are there markers of graphomotor impairment at rest in DYS children? Method. The participants were children with DYS and typically developing (TD) children (n = 32) from French-speaking primary schools (Mage = 9.3 years). The behavioural evaluation consisted of spelling and handwriting measures. Participants underwent a resting-state fMRI scan. Results. Analyses of RSFC focused on a brain region responsible for graphomotor processes—the graphemic/motor frontal area (GMFA). The RSFC between the GMFA and all other voxels of the brain was measured. Whole-brain ANOVAs were run to compare RSFC in DYS and TD children. The results demonstrated reduced RSFC in DYS compared to TD between the GMFA and brain areas involved in both spelling processes and motor-related processes. Conclusions. For the first time, this study highlighted a disruption of the writing network in DYS. By identifying functional markers of both spelling and handwriting deficits at rest in young DYS participants, this study supports the presence of graphomotor impairment in dyslexia.
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