Screening for motor dysgraphia in public schools

Marielza Regina Ismael Martins; José Alexandre Bastos; Angela Traldi Cecato; Maria de Lourdes Souza Araujo; Rafael Ribeiro Magro; Vinicios Alaminos

doi:10.1016/j.jped.2013.02.011

Screening for motor dysgraphia in public schools

J Pediatr (Rio J). 2013 Jan-Feb;89(1):70-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jped.2013.02.011.

Authors

Marielza Regina Ismael Martins¹, José Alexandre Bastos, Angela Traldi Cecato, Maria de Lourdes Souza Araujo, Rafael Ribeiro Magro, Vinicios Alaminos

Affiliation

¹ Department of Neurological Sciences, Faculdade de Medicina de São José do Rio Preto (FAMERP), São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil. [email protected]

PMID: 23544813
DOI: 10.1016/j.jped.2013.02.011

Abstract

Objective: To screen for warning signs of dysgraphia in schoolchildren at the sixth grade of elementary school.

Method: This was a descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional cohort study performed with 630 schoolchildren assessed through the (adapted) Analytical Dysgraphia Inventory, which recognizes difficulties in writing through the tracing the graphics.

Results: A total of 22% (n=138) of the sample presented all indications of dysgraphia; the most prevalent indicator was ascending/descending/fluctuating lines (53.6%). When the indicators were correlated to gender, males showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in most of them. Among the warning signs of co-occurrences, dyslexia was the most prevalent indicator (22%).

Conclusion: Given the large number of warning signs of dysgraphia observed in schoolchildren, it is advisable to screen for these signs, in order to implement early interventions.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Agraphia / diagnosis*
Agraphia / psychology
Brazil / epidemiology
Child
Dyslexia / diagnosis
Epidemiologic Methods
Female
Handwriting*
Humans
Learning Disabilities / diagnosis*
Learning Disabilities / psychology
Male
Mass Screening / methods
Psychomotor Performance / physiology*
Sex Distribution
Sex Factors