What is Dysorthography?

Several experts considered it a disorder that consists of a deficiency in the ability to write. Some argue it could be part of the dyslexic syndrome. Dysorthography features significant spelling mistakes while writing, and such errors can include confusion, omissions or inversions of letters and syllables, remarkably flawed conjugation, and arbitrary word breaks. Even though many call it a “disorder,” several experts are quick to point out the possibility of this being the result of recent changes in the way children are learning their language.

The prognosis for Dysorthography

Dysorthography develops in childhood and it is necessary to treat it as soon as possible so it does not affect the child’s development. It is important to see a specialist if symptoms of this disorder are noticed in order to help the child.

Treatments influence prognosis

As in the case of all other specific language disorders, people with dysorthography need to receive treatment as soon as possible in order to overcome their symptoms.

Once a good diagnosis has been made to know in more depth what are the specific problems experienced by the person, the psychologist or educator in charge of the case must design a concrete action plan for the patient.

In the case of disortography, some of the actions that can be taken to improve the symptoms can range from the repeated practice of writing and spelling rules to the teaching of tricks and techniques to remember the written form of words in the most used language.

On the other hand, while the treatment is being carried out, if the patient is in a situation in which his disorder causes him great harm (as in the case of a student), palliative remedies can be applied, such as audio recording. of the lessons or the substitution of written exams by others of an oral nature.

Early detection and early signs

Common symptoms of dysorthographia include problems with written spelling, problems with written grammar, and slower than normal writing and/or spelling speed. Problems with written spelling, such as missing letters in written words, using strange or meaningless letter combinations when spelling words, or copying words incorrectly when writing, are all signs of dysorthography.

Grammar is important for fluency in writing and we can see many students without learning disabilities struggle with grammar. However, students with dysorthography often demonstrate profound impairment in grammatical comprehension and problems with written grammar. This makes it very difficult to understand your writing. We hope that the speed of writing and spelling will increase as children grow and develop. Unfortunately, many students with dysorthography are extremely slow in spelling and writing. This can create a significant barrier for these students in terms of keeping up in class.

The typical mistakes of people with dysorthography:

1. Omission of letters in words.
2. Substitution of hard and soft syllables.
3. Confused and muffled sounds (for example, c / s / z, b / p, g / k, m / n, h / ch).
4. Swapping the sounds into words (so they are all confusing).
5. Incorrect application of grammar rules.

Sometimes the problem is that a person with dysorthography “does not hear” the correct sound or does not know what sounds make up a word, can hear and understand the word as a whole (this is how dysorthography manifests itself). Other times it is a situation where the quick automatic application of grammar rules does not work.

This may seem like a paradox because the person in question can explain the rule perfectly when asked but if they have to quickly write a sentence that combines many different grammar rules, they make a mistake in the same rule that they have explained perfectly.

Early intervention yields better results

It is crucial that parents and teachers work together for the early detection of this disorder. Parents should provide support at home while teachers provide support in the classroom.

In order to treat this disorder, the cause should be found. It is often caused by a visual or hearing impairment, pronunciation issues, or even an unfavorable study environment. Depending on the cause and the level of impairment, the speech therapist or childhood psychologist may suggest a treatment aimed at resolving related issues and learning and using correct spelling.

The diagnosis

This disorder should not be confused with common grammatical mistakes that children often make when growing up. To adequately diagnose, the following traits should be taken into account; difficulties spelling, mixing up letters, or difficulties separating words and syllables. The tests to assess this disorder include:

1. Aural tests
2. Tests to check for difficulties writing and learning language rules

Causes of Dysorthography

Experts are still trying to pinpoint what causes Dysorthography. Under normal circumstances, the brain processes the information it receives through the senses and stores it for later use. When kids start writing, their brains retrieve information from short-term and long-term memory to express what they’re thinking through writing characters.

In the case of children suffering from Dysgraphia, some researchers think one or both of the following steps in the process of writing go off track:

1. Organizing information stored in their brain
2. Getting words onto paper by writing or typing the characters

There are many things that have been thought to cause dysorthography, they include:

1. Intellectual causes: these can delay learning basic grammatical rules.
2. Linguistic causes: difficulty in language acquisition and lack of vocabulary knowledge.
3. Educational causes: depending on the cognitive style that the patient has, different teaching methods may present more challenges.
4. Perceptual causes: linked to the visual and auditory process.