Dysgraphia
Dysgraphia (or agraphia) is a deficiency in the ability to write, regardless of the ability to read, not due to intellectual impairment.
Indicators of Dysgraphia
- Ill-formed letters.
- Illegible letters that stray from the line.
- Flipping letters could be an issue with two-dimensional perception or with motor control in certain directions.
- Letters with shaky or disrupted lines.
- Inability to copy accurately.
- Poor structure of writing.
- Irregular spacing between letters, words or lines.
- Excessive erasures.
- Going over one-line multiple times.
- Excessive or insufficient pressure on the writing instrument.
The Raviv method exercises for improving orthographic capabilities
Through the exercise, the individual learns to cope with the issues that cause writing difficulties. For efficient writing, handwriting should be legible, the writing process should be quick and simple (in line with the writer’s age group).
The exercise is based on research by Dr. Jonathan Shatil (educational psychologist specializing in treatment of learning difficulties) as defined in his book, “The Psychographic of the Child”. Through his research, Dr. Shatil discovered that a child who didn’t draw in preschool, or skipped any part of this phase, would struggle with writing. Therefore, he “uses’ ‘ the children’s drawings to improve handwriting.