Teachers, try to understand and help students with non-communicable challenges

By Enock Kibuuka

As teachers, we should keenly be aware that our job has changed immensely. Teaching is not what it used to be. Expectations have intensified, and obligations have become diffuse.

There is so much more social worker involved in our job now than there ever was before. So many problems, behavioural and social problems that are sitting in your classroom that have to be dealt with before you can ever attempt to start teaching.

Teaching is not just a technical business. It is a moral one too. The learners we get in our schools come from all walks of life each with a different socio-economic back ground, all of which impact on the academic achievement of the students.

Teachers ought to understand the psychological, physical, mental and emotional abilities and/or disabilities of students. Of course, there are some conspicuous challenges that learners face and can easily be dealt with. For example, the physically and visually impaired students; those with hearing challenges and therefore may need hearing gadgets, etc.

These are what I refer to as ‘communicable' challenges. But there is a bulk of other social and psychological challenges that affect our students' academic progress and unfortunately, due to lack of knowledge about such challenges by both teachers and parents, such students go unattended to.

In fact, in some cases some teachers may end up caning the students, thinking that it is just laziness on the students' part. Here I want to discuss some of the challenges that teachers, parents and students as well must know - those are Dysgraphia; Dyslexia; Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); Dyspraxia; and Misophonia.

You probably hear a lot about learning and attention issues like dyslexia and ADHD. But chances are you don't hear much about dysgraphia. If your student/child has trouble expressing him/herself in writing, you may want to learn more about this condition.

Writing difficulties are common among children and can stem from a variety of learning and attention issues. By learning what to watch for, you can be proactive about getting help for your child. But as Erica Patino, an educational psychologist avers: "There's no cure or easy fix for dysgraphia." But there are strategies and therapies that can help a child improve his writing.

This will help him thrive in school and anywhere else expressing himself in writing is important. What is Dysgraphia? Dysgraphia is a condition that causes trouble with written expression. The term comes from the Greek words dys ("impaired") and graphia ("making letter forms by hand"). Dysgraphia is a brain-based issue.

It's not the result of a child being lazy. For many children with dysgraphia, just holding a pencil and organising letters on a line is difficult. Their handwriting tends to be messy. Many struggle with spelling and putting thoughts on paper.

These and other writing tasks—like putting ideas into language that is organised, stored and then retrieved from memory—may all add to struggles with written expression. Some psychologists and medical practitioners use the phrase, "an impairment in written expression" under the category of "specific learning disorder" to refer to Dysgraphia. While some school psychologists and teachers use the term dysgraphia as a type of shorthand to mean "a disorder in written expression." And some other sources categorise it as a "Specific Learning Disability" which includes issues with understanding or using language (spoken or written) that make it difficult to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell or to do mathematical calculations.

Whatever definition is used, it's important to understand that slow or sloppy writing is not necessarily a sign that the learner is not trying hard enough. Writing requires a complex set of fine motor and language processing skills. For learners with dysgraphia, the writing process is harder and slower. Without help, a learner with dysgraphia may have a difficult time in school. Here in Uganda, it appears Dysgraphia is not a familiar term to not only most teachers but also parents. But symptoms of dysgraphia are not uncommon, especially in young children who are starting to learn how to write. If a child continues to struggle with writing despite plenty of practice and corrective feedback, it is a good idea to take a closer look to see whether dysgraphia is an underlying cause.

What causes Dysgraphia? There is scanty literature on what exactly causes Dysgraphia and even for some educational psychologists I have personally interacted with on this issue aren't sure what causes dysgraphia and other issues of written expression. Normally, the brain takes in information through the senses and stores it to use later. Before a person starts writing, he retrieves information from his short- or long-term memory and gets organised to begin writing. But the literature available shows that in a learner with dysgraphia, the writing process goes off track because of either organising information that is stored in memory, or getting words onto paper by handwriting or typing them. This results in a written product that is hard to read and filled with errors. And most important, it does not convey what the learner knows and what he/she intended to write. A learner may have trouble with what is called "orthographic coding." This is the ability to store unfamiliar written words. As a result, he/she may have a hard time remembering how to print or write a letter or a word. But as Erica Patino contends: there may also be a genetic link, with dysgraphia running in families.

What are the symptoms of Dysgraphia? The symptoms of dysgraphia fall into six categories: visual-spatial, fine motor, language processing, spelling/handwriting, grammar, and organisation of language. A child may have dysgraphia if his writing skills lag behind those of his peers and he has at least some of the following symptoms:

Visual-Spatial Difficulties

• Has trouble with shape-discrimination and letter spacing
• Has trouble organising words on the page from left to right
• Writes letters that go in all directions, and letters and words that run together on the page.
• Has a hard time writing on a line and inside margins
• Has trouble reading maps, drawing or reproducing a shape
• Copies text slowly

Fine Motor Difficulties

• Has trouble holding a pencil correctly, tracing, cutting food, tying shoes, doing puzzles, texting and keyboarding
• Is unable to use scissors well or to colour inside the lines
• Holds his wrist, arm, body or paper in an awkward position when writing

Language Processing Issues

• Has trouble getting ideas down on paper quickly
• Has trouble understanding the rules of games
• Has a hard time following directions
• Loses his train of thought

Spelling Issues/Handwriting Issues

• Has a hard time understanding spelling rules
• Has trouble telling if a word is misspelled
• Can spell correctly orally but makes spelling errors in writing
• Spells words incorrectly and in many different ways
• Has trouble using spell-check—and when he does, he doesn't recognize the correct word
• Mixes upper- and lowercase letters
• Blends printing and cursive
• Has trouble reading his own writing
• Avoids writing
• Gets a tired or cramped handed when he writes
• Erases a lot

Grammar and Usage Problems

• Doesn't know how to use punctuation
• Overuses commas and mixes up verb tenses
• Doesn't start sentences with a capital letter
• Doesn't write in complete sentences but writes in a list format
• Writes sentences that "run on forever"

Organisation of Written Language

• Has trouble telling a story and may start in the middle
• Leaves out important facts and details, or provides too much information
• Assumes others know what he's talking about
• Uses vague descriptions
• Writes jumbled sentences
• Never gets to the point, or makes the same point over and over
• Is better at conveying ideas when speaking

The symptoms of dysgraphia also vary depending on a child's age. Signs generally appear when children are first learning to write.

• Preschool children may be hesitant to write and draw and say that they hate colouring.
• School-age children may have illegible handwriting that can be mix of cursive and print. They may have trouble writing on a line and may print letters that are uneven in size and height. Some children also may need to say words out loud when writing or have trouble putting their thoughts on paper.
• Teenagers may write in simple sentences. Their writing may have many more grammatical mistakes than the writing of other kids their age.

How is Dysgraphia diagnosed? Signs of dysgraphia often appear in early elementary school. But the signs may not become apparent until middle school or later. Sometimes the signs go unnoticed entirely. As with all learning and attention issues, the earlier signs of dysgraphia are recognized and addressed, the better. Dysgraphia is typically identified by licensed psychologists (including school psychologists) who specialise in learning disabilities. They can give your child academic assessments and writing tests. These tests measure fine motor skills and written expression production. During testing, the professional may ask your child to write sentences and copy text. They can assess not only your child's finished product, but also his writing process. This includes posture, position, pencil grip, fatigue and whether there are signs of cramping. The tester may also test fine motor speed with finger tapping and wrist turning. That is why the government should step up its budgetary allocations in education sector, especially special education. In particular, Uganda National Institute of Special Education (UNISE), at Kyambogo University should be well facilitated for this purpose. Special education teachers and school psychologists can help determine the emotional or academic impact the condition may be having on your child.

What other conditions are related with Dysgraphia? Many children with dysgraphia have other learning issues. These conditions, which can also affect written expression, include:

• Dyslexia: This learning issue makes it harder to read. Dyslexia can also make writing and spelling a challenge.
• Language disorders: Language disorders can cause a variety of problems with written and spoken language. Children may have trouble learning new words, using correct grammar and putting their thoughts into words.
• Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): ADHD causes problems with attention, impulsivity and hyperactivity.
• Dyspraxia: Dyspraxia is a condition that causes poor physical coordination and motor skills. It can cause trouble with fine motor skills, which can affect physical task of writing and printing.

How can teachers and parents help children with Dysgraphia? It must be noted that learners with dysgraphia qualify for special education services. So, parents and with the approval of Headteachers, PTAs and Board of Governors or District Education Officers teachers together with educational psychology specialists at the school should develop an Individualized Education Program (IEP). This may include intensive instruction in handwriting as well as personalised accommodations and modifications. But even without an IEP teachers may be able to give help in other ways:

• Response to intervention (RTI) is an approach schools can use to screen students and provide small group instructions to those who are falling behind. If a child doesn't make progress, he may receive intensive one-on-one instruction.
• Informal supports are strategies teachers can use to help such learners, such as giving these learners copies of class notes or using assistive technology tools like voice-to-text (dictation) software.

Alternatively, teachers can employ the following interventions:

• Accommodations are changes to how your child learns. Accommodations include typing on a keyboard or other electronic device instead of writing by hand. Apps can help some children stay organised through voice-recorded notes.
• Modifications are changes to what your child learns. Examples of modifications include allowing a student to write shorter papers or answers fewer or different test questions than his classmates.
• Remediation is an approach that targets foundational skills the learner needs to master. Some children may practice copying letters, using paper with raised lines to help them write in straight lines. An occupational therapist may provide exercises to build muscle strength and dexterity and increase hand-eye coordination.

Enock Kibuuka is a teacher at Gayaza High School