Did you know that schooling relies almost exclusively on writing? Dysgraphia is a learning disorder that affects handwriting and its formation. Lasting and persistent, it quickly leads to constant cognitive overload for the child at school. Among the recommended accommodations, the occupational therapist may suggest switching to a computer…

The writing difficulties of a child with dysgraphia

The pre-calligraphic stage begins in Year 1 (CP): the child learns to follow the rules and requirements of handwriting. It generally takes two years to eliminate shaky strokes, awkward links between words, and letters that wobble on the line. A child with dysgraphia never gets past this stage… With the calligraphic stage, the child masters their movements, writing becomes joined-up and more regular: a child with dysgraphia never reaches this stage.

Affected by this persistent disorder, the child is unable to speed up, or their work becomes completely illegible. Without automating the writing gesture, the child with dysgraphia stays at the drawing stage, where letters are drawn rather than written.

The cognitive overload of written demands at school

Did you know that a primary school child may be required to write up to 6 hours a day? A figure that can reach up to 8 hours in secondary school. Since school is overwhelmingly based on writing, it adds a cognitive cost on top of the writing difficulties of a child with dysgraphia! Absorbed by the act of writing, the child cannot properly listen to and understand lessons. Not to mention their growing fatigue.

According to Dr Alain Pouhet of Poitiers University Hospital, “by imposing handwriting, we are in fact imposing a dual task, and we worsen fatigue, slowness, and effectively organise a learning deficit”[1].

The benefit of switching to a keyboard for a child with dysgraphia

An occupational therapist may suggest switching to a computer to work around the child’s writing difficulties: with a keyboard, the cognitive overload is removed, and the child with dysgraphia can write while listening, thinking, and understanding lessons.

Be careful, this switch from handwriting to typing does not happen overnight: the child must learn to use this tool. First of all, the child with dysgraphia must learn to type without looking at the keyboard, so they don’t wear themselves out searching for letters. This recommendation also applies to children with visuo-spatial dyspraxia. Next, the child needs to know how to save documents, use software such as Word, organise their work (folders), print…

Prioritise remediation before the computer

While a computer offers many benefits for a child with dysgraphia at school, it’s important not to impose it on a child who is willing to attend graphotherapy sessions. Indeed, it’s worth knowing that handwriting is the only form of writing that allows neural circuits to make the connections needed to memorise spelling, grammar, and lessons.

By entrusting your child to a graphotherapist, this professional can assess the extent of the dysgraphia and start appropriate remediation to improve the quality, speed, and fluency of handwriting. If needed, it will always be possible to discuss the relevance of using a computer at school with this expert!

[1] Citation: https://coridys.fr/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/dysgraphie-quand-mettre-en-place-ordinateur-pouhet.pdf