1. Dysgraphia Defined Beth George, Occupational Therapy Team Leader
Sherri Keller, Assistive Technology Team
February 27, 2018
March 1, 2018 

2. Dysgraphia Definition
Dysgraphia is a learning disability that effects writing
Writing requires a complex set of motor and information processing skills.
Dysgraphia makes the act of writing difficult. It can lead to problems with spelling, handwriting and putting thoughts on paper. (

3. Hand based or brain based or both
Dysgraphia
Hand based or brain based or both
Parietal Lobe
Writing is associated with the left frontal lobe of the brain
Difficulties in dysgraphia typically arise in the parietal lobe, as this is the center of the brain that connects visual processing with motor processing
Temporal Lobe

4. Dysgraphia Types of Dysgraphia Motor Dysgraphia Spatial Dysgraphia
Dyslexic Dysgraphia

5. Types of Dysgraphia Motor Dysgraphia
Physical deficits such as low muscle tone, poor posture, decreased fine motor skills, decreased visual motor skills 
Writing often inconsistent slant or size due to unusual grip
Spontaneous work and copy work are poor or illegible
Breakdown between the language center of the brain and the motor map signals 
Difficulty with motor memory 

6. Motor Dysgraphia Strategies
Increasing fine motor strength and development
Activities that provide muscle strengthening and coordination such as theraputty, resistive materials to work on pincer grasp
Activities that work on precision: mazes, dot to dots, coloring

7. Motor Dysgraphia Accommodations
Let student choose their writing tools based on the comfort of the writing tool
Pencil Grips
Reduce the amount of work
Extra time to complete assignments
Word processor for typing
Word prediction
Speech to text
Kurzweil
Co-writer
Dictation io

8. Types of Dysgraphia Spatial Dysgraphia
Drawing and writing tasks are difficult
General weakness in understanding space
Sensory processing/body awareness deficits.
Difficulties are seen with spacing between words and letters, writing off the edges of the page, etc.
Both spontaneous and copy work are typically illegible and may appear to be one large run-on word.

9. Spatial Dysgraphia Strategies Writing posture Type of paper
Highlighted lines, bold lines, raised lines
Writing window
Graph paper
Slant board or positon of paper
Spacers (popsicle stick or dot in between words)
Highlighted margins
Demo lined paper in One Note

10. Spatial Dysgraphia Accommodations Typing
Adding lines in applications such as OneNote
Using color on page to mark areas of importance
Graphic Organizers
Templates
Speech to text

11. Types of Dysgraphia Dyslexic Dysgraphia
This type of dysgraphia is about the processing and memory components of writing rather than physical ability.
It overlaps with dyslexia, it is a breakdown of the phonological loop and memorization
Spelling and writing process impacted
Copy work is good; drawing abilities are intact;
Spontaneous/on-the-fly work is typically illegible

12. Dyslexic Dysgraphia
Writing Process

13. Dyslexic Dysgraphia
Pre-Writing
Graphic Organizers

14. Dyslexic Dysgraphia Organizing Writing Writing Organizers Timelines
Outlines
Compare and contrasting
Order of importance

15. Dyslexic Dysgraphia Rough Draft
Type text with the support of word completion and word prediction
Typing with audio feedback (text to speech)
Dictating using speech to text feature in applications

16. Edit and Revise your work
Dyslexic Dysgraphia
Edit and Revise your work
Use of word banks and topic dictionaries
Use of transition words
Use of sentence starters

17. Edit and Revise your work
Dyslexic Dysgraphia
Edit and Revise your work
Text to speech (hear written work read aloud)
Advanced grammar and spelling features in different applications
Use of thesaurus
Use of translator (ESOL)
Review checklist

18. Dysgraphia Intervention
OT’s Role In Dysgraphia
OT may be part of the team that would look at data gathered through the assessment process
Primarily with Motor and Spatial types of dysgraphia

19. Dysgraphia Intervention
OT- Pre Referral Process

20. Dysgraphia Intervention
Assistive Technology Role
Consultation and Education to BCPS staff
To build capacity of BCPS staff to use assistive technology effectively in the classroom to support student performance
Collaborate with teacher during instruction using assistive technology to support the student
Contact the AT office to request school training

21. Dysgraphia Intervention
Assistive Technology Role
Working with BCPS student
Teams may request an Assistive Technology provider to help them consider assistive technology for a specific student or situation.
Assistive Technology is not a direct service to a student but a way of supporting the team working with the student to provide case specific accommodations.

22. Dysgraphia Intervention
Assistive Technology Referral  
Referral Process: 
Permission for assistive technology assessment filled out by IEP chair, signed parent permission
Designee team member fills out assistive technology referral form and s to AT office
A meeting is scheduled to work with teacher, team members and student
AT assessment involves: 
Consultation with teacher, the student and additional team members supporting the student during academic task
Student and staff training of specific assistive technology at the time of assessment
Follow up is then scheduled to observe and support the student using the tech during instruction. 

23. Review: 3 types of Dysgraphia Motor, Spatial, Dyslexic

24. Demonstration Microsoft Word Adding items to quick access toolbar
Spelling and Grammar
Speak that feature
Thesaurus
Translate (need web)
Right click on any word for these features

25. Demonstration OneNote Learning Toolbar Insert Audio Insert Video
Dictate – Need connection
Immersive Reader
Insert Audio
Insert Video
List making (dragging and dropping)
Adding lines to paper and graph paper
Page Templates
Changing background color

26. Demonstration Dictation io Dictation io
Speak in a variety of languages
Copy and paste into Word
Drag and drop into Word
Text to speech feature
Split screen
Drag and drop into Kurzweil

27. Demonstration Kurzweil Open a blank draft Audio note
Open dyslexic font
Type and talk
Word prediction
Word List
Talking Calculator
Graphic organizer
Split Screen
Review Checklist
Save as word file
Save to OneDrive
Save to student folder (Documents)

28. Low tech writing strategies
Resources
Low tech writing strategies
Raised line graph paper
Highlighted lined Papers
Finger Spacers
Writing tools
Slant boards
Writing frame

29. Contact information
Elizabeth George, OT team leader
OT Referral 
Sherri Keller, Assistive Technology Office
AT Referral

30. Word Demo On the ribbon click on Review: Look at the items on the tab:
Spelling and Grammar, Define, Thesaurus and Word Count
Translate Option – you need approval of web site however it will translate document/selected text into another language.
Quick access toolbar:
Top left corner down arrows Customize Quick Access Toolbar
Choose : More commands
Choose commands from All Commands
Alphabetical order
Speak
Add Ok
Spelling
Grammar
Look at selection of items on right side
Test it out
Type the sentence: The queen and king wore fuzzy slippers when jumping over the cardboard box.

31. Word Demo On the main ribbon click on Review:
Quick access toolbar:
Top left corner down arrows Customize Quick Access Toolbar
Choose : More commands
Choose commands from All Commands
Alphabetical order
Speak
Add Ok
Spelling
Grammar
Look at selection of items on right side
Test it out
Type the sentence: The queen and king wore fuzzy slippers when jumping over the cardboard box.
On the main ribbon click on Review:
Look at the items on the tab:
Spelling and Grammar, Define, Thesaurus and Word Count
Translate Option – you need approval of web site however it will translate document/selected text into another language.
On the main ribbon select View:
Outline
Ruler
Gridlines
Arrange All
On the main ribbon select Design
Select page color and change background color

32. One Note Demo Select Insert Ribbon Click anywhere on the document
Is your learning toolbar downloaded? If not go to website….
Type the text: The quick brown fox jumped over the lazy dogs.
Learning Tools
Select Learning Tools from Ribbon
Select Immersive Reader
Click arrow button to play
Select A button top right to change text size, spacing, font, themes
Click X to close the Immersive Reader
Click anywhere on the document, select Learning tools
To pin this bar look to the far right and see the thumbtack, click on that.
Click dictate (you will see words listening, when it is recording). To stop dictation click on dictate again.
Select Insert Ribbon
Click anywhere on the document
Record Audio
Press Stop
Press Play to hear audio back
Record Video
Insert Date and time
Insert Page template
Templates- Academic- Detailed Lecture Notes
Select View Ribbon
Rule Lines –select down arrow /pick lines
Page Color- select page color
Home Ribbon
To do list /add time stamp

33. Dictation io demo Split the screen: Minimize Dictation io
Select Launch Dictation
Look at language options consider other languages to try
Select Clear bottom right corner
Click Start
Click Stop
Click Play (bottom of page in blue/all caps)
Click Copy
Open Word
Click Paste
Split the screen:
Minimize Dictation io
Drag and hold top left corner
Minimize Word
Drag and hold to tacks to right side
Select the text from Dictation io, drag and drop into word document

34. Kurzweil Demo Open Kurzweil Write New Draft
Type the text: The queen and king wore fuzzy slippers when jumping over the cardboard box
Toobar: select Open Dyslexic Font
Select microphone: Voice note opens, select microphone icon to record, click the stop button to stop recording. Click Ok
Click on the highlighted box to hear voice note
Click on word prediction icon (either a list or a globe)
Begin to type, press number to insert word
Click on Tools at the top ribbon
Select Floating word list
Edit Word List
Highlight Used words
Speak the word when clicked Ok
Type a sentence with a word in it to see the feature

35. Kurzweil Demo Home button Brainstorm – From Template Cause and effect
Type into a few boxes
Click on document view the outline view
Click on document view
Split screen view
Click on icon on left side checkmarks
Review Checklist
File Save As:
Documents
File Open with Editor Word
File save as:
Select Student Drive

36. Kurzweil Demo Point cursor in a blank space on the toolbar to the left
Right click
Insert at end
Tools
Talking Calculator
View (select calculator)