Printing and Writing

Most children with DCD have average to above average intelligence, but they are unable to show their intelligence and capabilities in their written work.

This is a writing sample from a typical Grade One student:

This is a writing sample from a Grade One student with DCD. Notice the poor organization, spacing and legibility:

Printing and handwriting are the most challenging of all motor activities because they require a combination of:

Organization of information from different senses, like seeing letters on a page and relating them to their sounds
Fine motor skills
Language comprehension and expression
The ability to plan and sequence letters and words on a page

Printing and Writing with DCD

While printing or writing, children with DCD tend to:

Have a speed accuracy trade-off (very slow with good legibility or very fast with poor legibility)
Have an awkward pencil grasp
Produce less work
Have a lot of erase marks
Have poor organization of space on the page
Have avoidance behaviours, including refusal to participate or rushing through the task
Have difficulty with subjects that require handwriting, including math, spelling and written language
Have difficulty copying from the board, making frequent errors and omissions

Why is Printing Challenging?

Low muscle tone: Muscles are not ready to contract enough to keep body upright.

Decreased postural control: Unable to maintain the correct posture required to write or to even stay seated in your desk.

Use their arms to hold themselves up: Similar to decreased postural control, imagine printing if you are resting on your arms.

Reduced fine motor control: Inability to control the pencil.

Over reliance on vision: More focus on watching the pencil than on the writing.

Attention: Imagine printing if all of your attention is focused on what your body is doing. You might forget what you are writing!