Movement Issues Identified in Movement ABC2 Checklist Parent Ratings for Students with Persisting Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, and OWL LD and Typical Literacy Learners

Abstract

Movement, which draws on motor skills and executive functions for managing them, plays an important role in literacy learning (e.g., movement of mouth during oral reading and movement of hand and fingers during writing); but relatively little research has focused on movement skills in students with specific learning disabilities as the current study did. Parents completed normed (ABC-2), ratings and their children in grades 4 to 9 ( = 11 years, 11 months; 94 boys, 61 girls) completed diagnostic assessment used to assign them to diagnostic groups: control typical language learning ( = 42), dysgraphia (impaired handwriting) ( = 29), dyslexia (impaired word decoding/reading and spelling) ( = 65), or oral and written language learning disability (OWL LD) (impaired syntax in oral and written language) ( = 19). The research aims were to (a) correlate the parent ratings for Scale A Static/Predictable Environment (15 items) and Scale B Dynamic/Unpredictable Environment (15 items) with reading and writing achievement in total sample varying within and across different skills; and (b) compare each specific learning disability group with the control group on parent ratings for Scale A, Scale B, and Scale C Movement-Related (Non-Motor Executive Functions, or Self-Efficacy, or Affect) (13 items). At least one parent rating was correlated with each assessed literacy achievement skill. Each of three specific learning disability groups differed from the control group on two Scale A (static/predictable environment) items (fastens buttons and forms letters with pencil or pen) and on three Scale C items (distractibility, overactive, and underestimates own ability); but only OWL LD differed from control on Scale B (dynamic/unpredictable environment) items. Applications of findings to assessment and instruction for students ascertained for and diagnosed with persisting specific learning disabilities in literacy learning, and future research directions are discussed.

Identification and characterization of learning weakness from drawing analysis at the pre-literacy stage

“…Dysgraphia is a complex disability that does not simply affect handwriting quality 10 . First, it is recognized that handwriting difficulties are associated with fine gesture impairment, such as cutting with scissors, touching fingers with the thumb, or screwing 31 . In addition, visual discrimination capabilities could be a predictor of handwriting proficiency.…”