Graphomotor skills

Very simply put, the term graphomotor refers to the mechanical ability to write letters and numbers. It is often described as a problem with visual-motor integration. This type of eye-hand coordination is different from that used in art, sports or video games because it involves the symbols of language (letters and words). A deficit in this area can affect handwriting, spelling and written composition.

To determine whether James has a difficulty or a deficit, the right assessment tools should be utilized by the school district. I recommend all three sections of the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI), the Rey-Osterreith, and the Test of Written Language (TOWL-3). School districts tend to be dismissive of visual-motor deficits but they can be quite debilitating for students, resulting in written language delays, spending many more hours each evening on homework than classmates do, etc. Students with a deficit in visual-motor integration may qualify for special education services. (The most severe manifestation of a visual-motor deficit is a form of dyslexia known as dysgraphia.) The right assessment tools will provide data to determine whether your son’s present challenge is a passing difficulty or a permanent part of his learning style that you’ll need to work on (and around).

Good luck to you and James on this journey.

Rita
ldspecialist.com

RR gave you a better and more complete answer as to graphomotor skills than I ever could. I would only add that based on my understanding of the phrase, I don’t understand why the district is suggesting an emotional component to his issues with writing. Either they found issues with his graphomotor skills or they didn’t. In either case, why are they suggesting an emotional component?

That would make me uncomfortable unless I misunderstand what they’re saying. I’d pin them down a bit on that one and even try to get them to back off that if they’re saying what I think they’re saying.

Sometimes people and children have emotional issues with things like the death of a loved one, prolonged separation, unresolved conflicts… we don’t usually have them with paragraphs, even long ones.

Sara, thank you for your reply. I felt the same way after reading the report. I don’t think it is an emotional issue either. James is the most carefree child you could meet. He is untroubled by things such as being injured, losing things, and gets over things quite easily for that matter. He truly is a happy, free spirit. I think the reason they mentioned the emotional issue is because on the Social-emotional part of the evaluation they reported that “projective measures support feelings of rejection, and paranoia”. This is in the next paragragh after they report how positive James is about school, family and friends. I do not have alot of faith in the particular school psychologist who administered the test. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during the testing.
In any event, I am not sure just how low James scored on the graphomotor skills part as compared to the rest of the test. I will attempt to copy the test scores that I emailed to RR (I didn’t think to post them here, but rather in response to the email I received). Here are the scores: They administered the Bender Gestalt test, Koppitz, and the WISC-III test. The results were as follows:
Verbal IQ - 118, 88th %
Performance IQ - 126, 96th %
Full Scale IQ - 123, 94th %
Verbal Comprehension - 121, 91st %
Perceptual Organization - 130, 98th %
Freedom from distractibility - 106, 66th %
Procesing Speed - 96, 39th %
On the WISC III his overall score was 123, at the 84th %.
On the Bender Gestalt test, he scored an 85, at the 25th %, and it is mentioned that this warrants further testing by an OT. However the report fom the OT states that James did very well on the Test for Visual Motor Integration (Beery Buktenica). Visual motor integration scored a slightly above average 111, and the motor coordination supplement test score is 130, the Perceptual/cognitive skills score is 127.
The school is recommending that James see a counselor to determine if it is an emotional problem, because he seems tense and anxious when more challenging writing assignments were given to him.
I am anxious to have him re-tested privately, as the evaluation only served to reinforce my long held belief that there is a physical problem which keeps this very bright boy from being able to write a full, ledgeable, understadable paragraph.
So, my journey begins…I am going to make arrangements to have James retested at a Children’s hospital. I do not want to have him labeled “emotional”, if that isn’t the case. I am also afraid that this will further affect James’ self esteem. You see, in a family of 6 extremely bright children, James is the “different one”. What makes it all the more frustrating is that we all know he is smart, but we just can’t pinpoint why he doesn’t progress as he should. I will go to whatever lengths necessary to finally nail down this problem which is becoming more evident as he gets older. The state standards here in NY call for writing, writing and more writing, which for my other children is not a problem. But for James…

I disseminate learning disabilities training products e.g CD-ROM, DISKETTE, HARD COPY, MICROFICHE, DATAFILES harvested by U.S government and foreign government sponsored research laboratories. I also have research reports and conference proceedings on learning disabilities… Kindly let me know if I can be of any help?Deidre wrote:
>
> Can someone help me? I am new to this site, and also new to
> the topic of learning disabilities. I recently had my 9 year
> old son James evaluated at his school to see if he was in
> need of any special services. He is a bright child - most of
> his scores on the tests he was given were above average, and
> many were in the superior range. His classroom teacher was
> concerned about his poor handwriting, and the inconsistencies
> in his daily work and behavior. The outcome of the tests are
> somewhat confusing, and the term graphomotor skills were
> mentioned more than once in the final decision that James is
> not eligible for any special services. School is out for the
> next week, so I am unable to further question the specialists
> who did the testing. However, I am burning with curiousity to
> learn exactly what graphomotor means. They are suggesting
> that perhaps something emotional is holding James back when
> he is presented with more challenging problems in his school
> work. Writing long paragraphs is what he has the most trouble
> with. Anyone have any ideas? Thanks!

I think your school is putting the cart before the horse. If your son finds writing difficult, it’s understandable that he might become tense and anxious when asked to write long paragraphs.

The test scores suggest a very bright young man. Other tests such as TOWL or Test of Written Language could prove helpful though when trying to best understand why such a bright young man has trouble expressing his good thoughts in writing.

Good luck.

Thanks for your reply. do you or anyone else know where I might be able to find out more info on graphomotor skills?. For instance, what exactly happens in the brain when there is a deficit - what exactly is happening that prevents the written info from being processed correctly?. I am going up to the school later on to ask about more info on my son’s evaluation report. I am looking for tips on what can be done to improve his graphomotor skills.

Did the school give you a written report describing the testing and explaining the results? I would be curious to see the breakdown of subtests for the performance and verbal sections of the WISC III. These subtests are where you will find indications of LD. Do you have these?

Also, if graphomotor skills are a problem and if written expression is a problem, perhaps you should try getting some accommodations for your son. For instance, he could be taught keyboarding and be given an AlphaSmart to use in the classroom. Perhaps he could dicate writing assignments to you.

Could it be possible that his problems with writing are causing anxiety for him? If he has thoughts in his mind and he can’t get them down on paper, he may be very frustrated.

Also, check out the Parenting a Child with Learning Disabilities bulletin board, if you haven’t already. That is a more active board and you may get more feedback there.

LJ

LJ

Thanks, LJ for your info. Yes, the school did give me a written report of the subtests on the evaluation. As of today, his teacher has these reports and is giving them back to me tomorrow - I will post the info then. Unfortunately, I am not really satisfied with the results from the school. The info they gave me is inconclusive at best. It’s as if they are telling me ” you have a very smart boy, who is anxious” period. They are not telling me what to do next. So, I am in the proceess of trying to make an appointment at a children’s hospital, where I am told I will get much more information from the more precise testing measures they use there. I am still anxious to finally nail down the exact problem with James. In the mean time, his teacher, who is an absolute angel, is doing her best to work with James, and yes, she is letting him do much of his work on the keyboard, which he can use easily. Thankfully, there are computers in his school. He is making progress. James managed to score a level 2 on the citywide reading test recently, which will allow him to be promoted. That was my biggest fear - that he wouldn’t be able to score high enough to make it to fourth grade. This is, of course, ridiculous as he is reading and doing math at a level which is two grades higher than his current grade. I will post more tomorrow as far as his subtests scores. Again, thanks so much for your comments. I truly appreciate any and all info I can get in order to help my boy.

Have you checked searched the Web (or this site) for information on GT/LD (gifted and talented with learning disabilities)? I copied from the ERIC Digest a description of GT/LD kids and pasted it below. Does this listing describe your son?

Keep searching until you are satisfied that you understand your son and what is going on with him. It has taken me 3 three years, but finally, my son is labeled GT/LD and will be placed in a GT/LD program next year. Don’t hesitate to follow your Mother’s Intuition.

I’m glad that you are considering private testing. You may also want to consider bringing in outside experts to speak on your child’s behalf at IEP or review meetings. That may be the only way you’ll get help for your son from the public schools. My son’s school refused to code him as LD—even though I had outside tests that indicated learning disabilities—until I brought the psychologist who tested him to a review meeting. Even then, they wouldn’t give services. I then called another meeting and brought in an advocate. And then, 2 1/2 years later, the district tested my son and his scores were clearly in the GT/LD range. I was unsuccessful in getting him into the GT/LD program myself, so this year, I brought in another advocate, and placement was approved.

It sounds like you’re already doing the private therapies. Tutors who are familiar with learning disabilities can achieve some amazing results with these kids. If you have a college or university near you, you may be able to get tutoring there as well.

Which state are you in? Perhaps others from your state will see your post and offer suggestions and let you know what has worked for them.

LJ

Gifted Students with Learning Disabilities

High abstract reasoning ability
Good mathematical reasoning ability
Keen visual memory, spatial skills
Advanced vocabulary
Sophisticated sense of humor
Imaginative and creative
Insightful
Exceptional ability in geometry, science, arts, music
Good problem- finding and - solving skills
Difficulty with memorization, computation, phonics, and/or spelling
Distractibility and/or disorganization
Supersensitivity
Perfectionism
Grasp of metaphors, analogies, satire
Comprehension of complex systems
Unreasonable self expectations
Often, failure to complete assignments
Difficulties with sequential tasks
Wide variety of interests
(Baum, Owen, & Dixon, 1991; Silverman, 1989)

Research indicates that in many cases, a child is diagnosed with ADHD when in fact the child is gifted and
reacting to an inappropriate curriculum (Webb & Latimer, 1993). The key to distinguishing between the two is the
pervasiveness of the “acting out” behaviors. If the acting out is specific to certain situations, the child’s behavior
is more likely related to giftedness; whereas, if the behavior is consistent across all situations, the child’s behavior
is more likely related to ADHD. It is also possible for a child to be BOTH gifted and ADHD. The following lists
highlight the similarities between giftedness and ADHD.

LJ - Yes, you have nailed my son! Your description of gifted with LD sounds very much like James. Some of his abilities are uncanny - they just boggle the mind, and when you see him in action, you say “wow, this kid is so smart”, but then, you look at his school work, and say “there is something wrong with this picture”.
I am glad to hear that it took someone else a long time to finally get results - I was beginning to think that it was just me. I have called the hospital (Long Island Jewish - Schneider’s Children’s), every morning for the last three days to try to make an appointment for James, and I get nothing but voice mail. Finally, I left a message asking them to beep me when they have time to talk, since they haven’t yet returned my messages. I am committed to doing whatever needs to be done in order to get James what he needs. I am working on building his self esteem right now. He is very frustrated with himself when faced with the things he has trouble with. I know it is because he doesn’t understand why he can’t do some of the things my other children take for granted - even my first grader can write better essays, and reports than he can. We are encouraging him to use the keyboard, which helps some, but his spelling is often incorrect, and punctuation is often non existent. We are playing up the things he does well, and giving lots of praise so that he doesn’t feel badly about himself. He is a very sweet kid, and it breaks my heart to see him struggle. However, I am so glad that I have learned so much about learning disabilities, and that we are n the road to helping James. This board has been a tremendous help to me. By the way, we live in Queens, NY, so if there is anyone out there who can offer some local help that would be great. Again, many thanks to all who have offered support. I feel like we are on our way to getting the results we need.

Here is a better checklist that I just found among my files. Check out the web site http://members.aol.com/discanner/gtld.html.

Gifted Children With Learning Disabilities

Linda Silverman, PhD.

Signs of Giftedness

excellent long-term memory
extensive vocabulary
excels in reading comprehension
excels in mathematical reasoning
advanced verbal skills in discussions
facile with computers
grasps abstract concepts
performs better with more challenging work
thrives on complexity
highly creative, imaginative
reasons well
is a keen observer
may have acute hearing
has very interesting ideas
extremely curious; asks many questions
has high degree of energy
perceptive and insightful (seems “wise”)
excellent sense of humor
may excel at art, science, geometry, mechanics,
technology, or music

Signs of Learning Disabilities
poor short-term memory
speaking vocabulary more sophisticated than written
vocabulary
struggles with decoding words
does poorly at computation
refuses to do written work
handwriting is illegible
has great difficulty with spelling and phonics
struggles with easy, sequential material
difficulty with rote memorization
often inattentive in class
emotions can overpower reasoning
poor auditory memory
poor listening skills
weak in language mechanics, such as grammar, punctuation, capitalization, etc.
may be unable to learn unless interested
performs poorly on timed tests
hopelessly disorganized
finds clever ways to avoid weak areas
may fail at foreign languages and subjects emphasizing
audition, sequencing, memory

Serving Gifted/Learning Disabled Children

write directions on paper
teach sight words and context cues
visualize word, spell backwards and forwards with eyes
closed, write word
have child complete a multiplication chart and look for
patterns
write directions on board; get eye contact before giving
directions
allow student to take timed tests at home, trying to beat
own record
teach student to use a computer or typewriter
allow child to use word processor for assignments
use tape recorder: provide carbon paper to a “buddy” to
copy notes
skip easy, sequential material: teach advanced material
holistically
let child learn complex, abstract concepts instead
teach compensation techniques instead
concentrate on child’s strengths; use visual presentations;
allow child to pursue interests; use computer-assisted
instruction; emotionally engage child

Have you looked into vision therapy?

This sounds so very much like my nine year old son. He has low muscle tone and sensory integration disorder. His fine and gross motor abilities are affected though his full scale IQ is 126. In school his difficulty with handwriting is a major issue. He writes very slowly, and his mental processing is slowed due to his low muscle tone, so that he will completely lose track of all he’s working on mid-stream. Teachers become frustrated since he is so competent intellectually otherwise. He whips through math problems. (I could easily believe your son is anxious because of pressure placed on him during writtten assignments by teachers). My son does have an IEP in place, so he receives O.T., P.T., Speech therapy, and Sensory Integration therapy. These have all been helpful in an overall way, but my son will never be able to rely on handwriting for lengthy tasks. He is permitted to use a computer to keyboard in the classroom, and is allowed to dictate on an inconsistent basis. At home, he keyboards himself or dictates to me and I write for him. I’m in regular contact with the school. You may want to look at some of the Bulletin Board posts. I’m fairly new here also, but have posted on several Bulletin Boards, and have gotten some very friendly and helpful responses. Good luck.

P.S. Dysgraphia is the term for a learning disability involving the writing process. You may find more helpful information looking that up specifically.

What is recommended is an ocupational therapist’s evaluation. Ask your pediatrician to write a script that requests this evaluation. The school pays for it if they accept. Go to your CSE with an advocate if necessary. Call Parent’s Advocacy in the phone book. They are in Roslyn in Nassau County. The O.T. specialist will administer a series of tests assessing fine motor skills and visual perception, and how the two are integrated. Then, if your son meets the criteria, they have exercises, materials and techniques to build up muscle strength and skills. They work on handwriting and fine motor tasks like cutting, copying, buttoning, etc.

You didn’t say how old your child was, or if there were any difficulties pre-natally, or developmentally. If he is in grade 3 or higher, is he taught penmanship? There is a good program called Preventing Academic Failure for cursive and print instruction. It is an inexpensive but excellent workbook I use in my resource room.

In addition to graphomotor issues, time factors become classroom issues. If he cannot keep up with the writing in a timely fashion, he may need extended time on tests, or a scribe to write what he dictates. Is it JUST the manual writing or are there expressive language issues in his writing? A TOWL-3 is a test to measure and assess this.

Hi I have a 6th grader, 12 yrs who has language processing difficulties along with dyspraphia. We have finally come to the conclusion after some intense testing this spring, that process writing is a severe burden to our son, whether it’s writing a paragraph, essay, or reminder notes to himself,—writing is just too cumbersome. And now, that his work at school is becoming more complex, this is just too difficult for him. So, we are looking into voice activated software. We hope to find something for him to use over the summer and then implement it at school in the fall. Maybe this would help your child, too.