Health, dysgraphia

November 23, 2008 on 5:31 am | In mybachcars.com |
Health, dysgraphia
  • Is severe dysgraphia a genetically related problem and thus a possible subset of Asperger's syndrome..??


  • Dear Kwenda – First off I would like to thank you for the opportunity to help you understand the disorders of Dysgraphia and Asperger’s syndrome as well as how they relate to each other. I would like to stress that I am not a doctor and I have no medical training background so any information I provide for you here should be followed up by appropriate medical attention for diagnosis purposes. I would first like to take a moment to define what each of the two syndromes are. The first is Dysgraphia. The following is taken from the NINDS Dysgraphia Information Page http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/dysgraphia.htm “What is Dysgraphia? Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder characterized by writing disabilities. Specifically, the disorder causes a person's writing to be distorted or incorrect. In children, the disorder generally emerges when they are first introduced to writing. They make inappropriately sized and spaced letters, or write wrong or misspelled words, despite thorough instruction. Children with the disorder may have other learning disabilities, however, they usually have no social or other academic problems. Cases of Dysgraphia in adults generally occur after some trauma. In addition to poor handwriting, Dysgraphia is characterized by wrong or odd spelling, and production of words that are not correct (i.e., using "boy" for "child"). The cause of the disorder is unknown. “ The other is Asperger’s Syndrome. The following is taken from A.S.P.I.E web site http://www.aspie.org/ “Asperger's Syndrome is a Pervasive Developmental Disorder. Pervasive developmental disorders are a group of neuropsychiatric disorders. Characterized by specific delays in social, communicative, and cognitive development, usually noted in the first year of life. It is a life long condition and the attributes will change with different stages of life. Asperger's Syndrome is part of the Autism spectrum. The major difference between Asperger's and Autism would be language skills. Most Autistic children never develop normal speech. Or may be non-verbal. Where as Asperger's children usually develop language skills at or slightly below the average. “ On a surface level these look like two separate disorders. After looking more closely at both syndromes I found that Asperger’s Syndrome is in the Autistic spectrum. This is the spectrum from low functioning to highly functional Autistics. The difference between highly functional Autistic and Asperger’s Syndrome is still unclear in the medical society. They are often called Cousins. Having this bit of information I did some research on Autism itself. The following definition is taken from the Autism Society of America http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=whatisautism “Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. The result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain, autism impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities” Asperger’s and Autism both fall into the category of Pervasive Developmental Disorders. Pervasive Developmental Disorders is not actually at diagnosis. It is in fact a category of disorders that refer a delay in multiple functions including social and communication skills. Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome both fall in this category. There is also a category of PDD’s that are not otherwise specified (PDDs-NOS). These are cases that show signs from the autism spectrum but do not otherwise fit the syndrome. I think this is where you might find Dysgraphia and Asperger’s being related. Both seem to be neurological Disorders but it would depend on the onset of the disorder as well as the degree to which the individual is afflicted. Asperger Syndrome: What Is It? http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/aswhatisit.html A World Apart - Definitions http://access.autistics.org/resources/glossary/main.html#a NINDS Dysgraphia Information Page http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/dysgraphia.htm Dysgraphia http://www.ld.org/info/indepth/dysgraphia.cfm Asperger's Syndrome http://users.wpi.edu/~trek/aspergers.html#what Autistic Spectrum Disorders: Sorting Out Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and Other Conditions http://www.pediatricneurology.com/autism.htm - Asperger’s Syndrome Autism Society of America: What is Autism? http://www.autism-society.org/site/PageServer?pagename=whatisautism Support Group: A.S.P.I.E. Asperger's Syndrome Parent Information Enviorment http://www.aspie.org/ ASPEN Asperger Syndrome Education Network http://www.aspennj.org/ Asperger Syndrome http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/ Search Strategy: Dysgraphia Asperger’s Syndrome Dsygraphia Asperger’s Syndrome Cousins Autism Pervasive Developmental Disorders Most sites advise finding a good psychologist and even have recommendations that they are willing to give on finding the right doctor. Asperger’s Syndrome has only recently been added to the DSM-IV which is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders so there is work to be done to relate it to all known or unknown causes and cousins. I do hope this helps clarify the relationship between Dysgraphia and Asperger’s Syndrome. If you need more clarification please do not hesitate to post. I will get back with you as soon as I can. Good Luck and Thank you, Morninstar


  • Sorry for the delay, been away.. It would seem that without doubt Dysgraphia is a neurological disorder in that a part of the brain does not pass the correct messages to the hand. Asperger's Syndrome is again a neurological disorder, and thus both fit well into the PDDs-NOS grouping. I have seen both of these disorders running in families, and again most forms of Autism, including Aspergers Syndrome have been proven to have a genetic basis. Hence my theory that Autism, Asperger's Syndrome and Dysgraphia are, shall we say, various strengths of a similar disorder. Who, and at what university, is doing research on any of this subject. I would like to follow up further. Many thanks


  • Dear Kwenda - NO worries about the delay. Do you wish to know who is doing research on all three disorders or just on Dysgraphia and Aspergers or the combination of both? Let me know, meanwhile I will start gathering the data on those two alone. Thank you, Morningstar


  • Many thanks for yours.. No lets leave Autism out of this research, that is a large subject just by itself..!! I would just like to research Dysgraphia and Aspergers, together with any links between the two, that are currently being investigated. This is a research subject that is becomming more important, due to the huge sudden increase of Aspergers Syndrome in California. Geographical analysis of the increased sufferers of Aspergers links it to the Silican Valley regions of the state. Many thanks again.


  • Dear Kwenda - I have tried to create a list of comprehensive research studies on Asperger's and Autism. I have mostly kept the search within US boundaries but added an overseas link or two as I thought they might be of interest to you. I will let you know I am out of my league on knowing if the following links will be usefull to you are not. In the area of research I have no expertise. I do hope this works out for you. Again and as always if you need more clarification please let me know. Regards, Morningstar The following site is from Research Studies Yale Social Learning Disabilities Project on Asperger's Syndrome (AS) & High Functioning Autism (HFA) "The Yale Social Learning Disabilities Project is a comprehensive research program that addresses a wide number of issues related to high-functioning, pervasive developmental social disabilities such as those characterized by Asperger's Syndrome and high-functioning autism" Research Studies http://info.med.yale.edu/chldstdy/autism/research.html The following is from Colorado State University. "Colorado State University is conducting a study of children and adolescents. The purpose of this study is to explore the abilities to decode emotion through facial expression, tone of voice, and verbal content in children and adolescents." Research Studies http://members.aol.com/maskas99/research_studies.htm The following sites are about the best places to find several sources for who is doing research on Asperger's Syndrome Asperger: Research Projects http://www.udel.edu/bkirby/asperger/research.html NINDS Asperger Syndrome Information Page http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/asperger_doc.htm#What_research_is_being_done Dygraphia research information: NINDS Dysgraphia Information Page http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/disorders/dysgraphia.htm#What_research_is_being_done The following site is a study on language development by mouth, by ear. It includes Dysgraphia, dyslexia, and other language disorders School Psychology: Virginia Berninger http://depts.washington.edu/edpsych/Berninger.html The following is an overseas research study but I have included is as it has some very interesting studies going on using MRI’s on brain function and language. Department of Cognitive Neuroscience Research Institute of Logopedics and Phoniatrics http://plaza.umin.ac.jp/~cns/ The following is actually a list of research papers that were done on reading disabilities. I list it because of the general study nature of your request. I cannot guarantee that it will be useful. Research News http://www.ncld.org/research/index.cfm Thanks Again, Morningstar