I have always wondered about Dysgraphia and what differences does it have with Dyslexia. There were also psychological reports that states Dysgraphia as Specific Learning Disorder with impairment in written expression.

My "Aha" moment for today would be that in the article (Cognitive Profiles of Developmental Dysgraphia) is the identification of two distinct cognitive profiles within children with developmental dysgraphia, which was achieved through a two-step cluster analysis. This analysis revealed that children with dysgraphia could be divided into two clusters:

1. Deficits in auditory processing

2. Deficits in visual magnocellular functions

I thought that the finding highlights that while phonological awareness and phonological working memory are common deficits among all children with dysgraphia, the specific impairments in auditory or visual processing can further differentiate them into distinct profiles.

In the school system, MOE Psychologist doesn't conduct assessment for both condition as there is insufficient programs that cater to the needs. Although DAS recently add this services, the cost fees for the math program are not subsidised by MOE in comparison to Main Literacy Program(MLP) that caters to help students with dyslexia.

Other than extra time/reader provided for Access Arrangement, there is no accommodation that can be provided for student with numeracy difficulties to help them manage their challenges. What is the possibilities of SEAB approving number line as a visual aid? Considering it has similar function like a ruler.

1) The dyscalculia simulation test. It was a painful experience even though it was a simple addition/subtraction/multiplication/division test. I had to use coping strategy by recognizing alternative pattern to remember the symbols. This comes to my mind how would someone with dyscalculia cope with more complex mathematical questions.

2) When going thru dysgraphia, it made me think of my own student with ADHD who has been having issue with writing his essay. He always comes to school w/o remembering his homework and always find excuse to write and misuse his PLD in class. When going through this diagnosis, it made me think, what if this student has dysgraphia? It gives me another angle to look into this student's learning needs. This boy is actually intellectual. He is in G3 and loves to talk non-stop, full of ideas. However, when comes to writing, he has a lot of challenges.

I feel sad after hearing about people with dyscalculia as it affects their daily life. Things that I have taken for granted, such as the ability to read time and calculate money, are difficult for people with dyscalculia. I heard that in Singapore, we do not have any access arrangements for people with dyscalculia, and teachers in the mainstream school settings are wondering how they can help students with dyscalculia. I wonder how they can be included and I wonder what strategies can be put in place in order to help students with dyscalculia.

I also learnt how important it is to protect your brain, as an affected part of your brain impacts so many parts of your daily life. For students with dysgraphia, I heard that there are no access arrangements available for them for PSLE. I wonder if we are able to have a scribe for them, so that someone can write for them. It saddens me to know that a student might not be able to pass PSLE just because of their handwriting.

One of the major challenges in addressing dysgraphia and dyscalculia is the limited intervention options available. Teachers are often not adequately trained to recognize and support students with these learning difficulties. As a result, students with dysgraphia and dyscalculia may be misjudged and labeled as lazy, weak, or unintelligent. This stigma can further hinder their progress and self-esteem.

Moreover, these students may struggle to navigate daily activities where mathematical concepts or writing are frequently required, potentially making it harder for them to engage fully in an academic or professional environment.

While individuals with dysgraphia may find it easier to adapt in daily life because they do not rely as heavily on writing, those with dyscalculia face unique challenges in dealing with numbers. The need for mathematical understanding is a constant part of life, from budgeting to basic calculations, making it a difficult area for individuals with dyscalculia to overcome. This can lead to frustration, as those affected may struggle in an area of daily life that others may take for granted.

In summary, the lack of formal diagnosis and appropriate interventions for dysgraphia and dyscalculia in Singapore presents a significant challenge for those affected. It is crucial to foster greater awareness of these conditions and ensure that both students and teachers receive the support necessary to address these unique learning needs.

From the readings on dyscalculia and dysgraphia, I start to consider the potential obstacles these students might encounter in a system where academic performance is often prioritized. Our education landscape heavily emphasizes results, and for students with these learning differences, it will be extremely challenging for them to navigate such environment. There seems to be a noticeable gap in training and awareness about these conditions too. As a SEN O in school, I'm not confident at all to support students with maths related challenges :((((( helpssss

Dyslexic individuals tend to be able to look at the big picture, which can make them great at spotting patterns and thinking holistically and these traits can be seen in many successful architects and entrepreneurs. People with dyscalculia can excel in art, music, and storytelling, as their brains process information in unique, non-linear ways. Individuals with dysgraphia can be supported with assistive technology such as speech-to-text apps. These accommodations can help them reduce the writing load and better manage the amount of written work in school or at work. 

Mindful and individualised intervention - the earlier the better, and accommodations can be able to support an individual with learning needs. With less frustration and greater understanding, there will be more opportunities for one to build self-esteem and experience success. 

That being said, sometimes it’s hard for parents or teachers to correctly identify the children’s learning needs (especially Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia) and provide timely support. 

For Dyslexia and Dyscalculia, parents and teachers could first notice the child’s (mis)behaviour and then try to investigate the causes and functions of behaviour. As the reasons/symptoms could overlap, or the “red flags” weren’t clear, it could be hard to identify the primary issue which may then result in delayed referrals to the school’s Educational Psychologist. It is also possible that the standardized tests (eg. Primary 1 ELI & ENI test) do not pick up the students’ difficulties and it could be for a variety of reasons. P1 ELI and ENI assessments are conducted once for all new Primary 1 students at the start of the academic year. For them to be conducted by the first few weeks of primary education (new school environment), the 6 year olds may not adequately demonstrate their learning challenges during that once-off assessment task and some slip through the cracks. It is also possible that some of these students could also have developed coping mechanisms in their preschool years to hide their struggles. The next round of such assessments are done for identified students towards the end of Primary 2 for both English (through SDR screening) and Math (through eCDQ testing) and should the students score below a predetermined percentile, they may either qualify for SDR or RRP for English or LSM for Math.

For Dysgraphia, it could be even harder to observe the learning needs at a young age since most of the preschoolers are learning to develop in their visual-motor spatial organization and fine motor-related daily skills. Perhaps it would be more obvious by middle primary when such skills are generally more developed by then. 

Perhaps it is through continuous home-school observation and close monitoring on how the students learn (not just what they score) that can help ensure that our children get the right support in a timely manner.

We also learned about dysgraphia, a brain-based learning disability relating to difficulty in written expression. In dysgraphia, visual-motor spatial organization and fine motor-related daily skills are the strongest predictors. Sadly, this disability is not recognized in the DSM-5, even when it is a disability that has great impact on the academic performance of a student. I am glad to know that there are accommodations catered to such individuals like use of A3 paper when the student's handwriting is larger than usual.

More needs to be done to raise awareness for such disabilities that people rarely know about, so that these individuals can be seen, heard and feel a sense of belonging in schools, to have a more enjoyable learning journey overall.

Dyscalculia and Dysgraphia are both invisible disabilities but yet, they have received so little attention, and I can only imagine the vast number of people who have fallen through the gaps, simply because there is too little information about these learning difficulties.

Now that I am learning about these LD, I realise that a few of my students must have had these LD and I was totally unaware.

This makes me reflect on what I could have done better for them. I wonder how much stress they must have felt when I tried to do mental sums with them, when in the first place, they really do not have any number sense. Oh dear, I also gave wrong advice to a particular student's parents, so that student was forced to go to Kumon by her parents to help her brush up her mathematical skills. That 8-year-old student used to cry a lot as she felt a lot of stress from doing the homework given by Kumon.

Moving forward, I am now more aware of these LD so I feel empowered to give more meaningful advice to the parents of students with LD in the future.

Beyond recognizing the signs and symptoms, what stood out most to me were the various accommodations that can help bridge learning gaps for affected students. These accommodations create opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding in ways that suit their needs. For instance, in the case of Dysgraphia, replacing handwritten tasks with speech-to-text or typing can enable students to perform on par with their peers.

However, the real question is: How accepting are we of these accommodations? Educators and policymakers alike should re-evaluate their perspectives to ensure inclusive learning environments.

Many strategies recommended such as Handwriting without tears, CPA approach in math teaching and many more are commonly used in SPED school. Dyscalculia/Dysgraphia or not, I think these are effective programmes that can facilitate the while learning process.

I was overwhelmed by the activity started off by Dr Liz. Anxiety popped up when I couldn’t complete the task given. When Dr Liz mentioned that she has given us extra time, my immediate feeling is "I don’t feel good" my emotions decided to overtake my logical brain, it set me into flight or fight mode. At that moment, I decided to take flight… It was a simple exercise, yet so excruciating painful as I can imagine the situation of the students who are not given the RIGHT access accommodations. As we delve into the expert groups on the topics of dysgraphia and dyscalculia, I was taken aback by the uncommon diagnosis that our students might be facing and the lack of Right access accommodations that are possibly not made accessible to them in the local context. How many students with dysgraphia and dyscalculia went undiagnosed under the current educational system, not to mention the lack of support. As I learnt more about learning disabilities, I realized the more I don’t know. It is definitely a wake-up call as an educator serving in the mainstream school.

Today’s lesson is particularly interesting as both dyscalculia and dysgraphia are conditions which are not so commonly talked about. I find myself wondering continuously if any of my students have these conditions but I also understand that there are things to consider before a label is given to the child OR rather, it is important to come from the perspective of what the child needs as opposed to what diagnosis to give to the child.

I like the simulation exercise that we did as it really helped me to understand and have empathy for students who may have challenges in doing math or in writing. There is a lot of pressure and internal frustration that goes on with not being able to cope with the daily demands of doing math and writing. And so, the first takeaway is to always remember the emotional impact that this will have on students- the anxiety, the struggle.

What does the child really need? What is the real issue she or he is facing? Considering that both dysgraphia and dyscalculia stemmed from neurological deficits, I understand that there are problems with basic executive functions-memory, processing, planning, organisation, etc.. so I will need to see what strategies will work best for the child instead of giving blanket accommodations that may or may not be helpful for the students. Accommodations should be student- centric (what student needs), intentional (in the way that will help the student bridge the gap) and coherence (done across all subjects so the child does not need to have to continuously transit which may add additional stress to the child).

One of the many takeaways for me is that individuals with certain developmental needs (e.g., ADHD, Sensory Processing Disorder and ASD) are at risk of having dysgraphia coupled with other mental health disorders.  Therefore, educators, both mainstream and special needs must stay current and up to date with their knowledge of learning disabilities as they are at the forefront of their students’ learning abilities.

In Singapore, it is only recent that DAS is offering support to those with "mathematical" challenges. In the recent years, Dyscalculia was never recognised as a diagnosis. Without a diagnosis, there is provision of Access Arrangement. What is just as perplexing is that in the LSM program in primary schools, students with challenges in Maths are taught using manipulatives. Yet, it is possible that some of those same students may have dyscalculia and they are supported well for the first few years with manipulatives that somehow does not translate to a long-term support strategy that can also be brought into as Access arrangement in national examinations. This is quite thought-provoking.

Dysgraphia is a brain-based learning disability that results in difficulty with written expression and interferes with practically all aspects of the writing process. There are 2 types of dysgraphia. First is acquired dysgraphia which is a result of a brain injury or degenerative condition. Second is Developmental dysgraphia which affects the aspects of motor skills, spatial skills and linguistic ability. The causes of dysgraphia are genetic, neurological or environmental.

It would be interesting to note that Dysgraphia is not recognised in APA in its DSM-5. Again, without a diagnosis, there can be no access arrangement for national examinations. Once more, it is thought provoking, that there are no accommodations that can be made for students with Dysgraphia in Singapore. Maybe, more can be done to create a more inclusive society that begins with schools, with those with personal challenges that come in the form of dyscalculia or dysgraphia.

Fortunately, there are interventions and strategies to help with managing Dyscalculia. With any strategy or intervention in place, it is important as a teacher to acknowledge the disability, have patience, empathy and willingness to work together with parents. It is necessary to follow-up to maintain consistency and monitor progress. As long as the teacher and parent continue to work collaboratively, this would bring about positive reinforcement holistically.  

Discovering more about Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia  in today’s class was eye-opening. These conditions are invisible but very real. Both are neuro-based disorders, and both involve challenges in retaining information. For students with Dysgraphia, writing can be a significant struggle, while those with Dyscalculia face difficulties with numbers and calculations.

Reflecting on Dysgraphia, I realized how much it shares in common with Dyslexia. Both are rooted in neurological differences that affect how the brain processes language and written symbols. They involve challenges with information processing and memory retention. Students with Dysgraphia often struggle to organize their thoughts and translate them into written form, while those with Dyslexia find it difficult to decode and interpret written words. In both cases, working memory is heavily taxed, making it harder for them to retain and manipulate information. Additionally, both conditions impact writing and spelling. In Dysgraphia, poor handwriting and difficulty with sentence structure are common, while Dyslexia often involves spelling errors and trouble with phonetic patterns. Seeing these overlaps made me more empathetic towards students facing these challenges.

Knowing all of this, it is very important to adopt effective teaching strategies. Focusing on instructional techniques, cognitive and metacognitive strategies, and creating a supportive learning environment can make a difference. Cultivating student engagement and motivation is also vital. Every student deserves the opportunity to learn and grow and it is our responsibility to provide them with the tools and support they need.

I learnt more through the materials shared in this topic. In a society like ours which places emphasis on academics with a rather deeply ingrained mindset that STEM related subjects like Maths are 'superior', I have a soft spot for those who are underperformers or genuinely are weak in Mathematics and Sciences. It is all the more important that this is detected early and interventions applied before the deficits are even more obvious as adults. I have seen in many cases of my students feeling inferior and see themselves as an 'underclass' when entering Sec 1 as they have not passed any Math assessment since Pri 3!

But phenomenal exceptions do exist in nature even among those deemed by society as 'feeble-minded' or retarded. In his fascinating book 'The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat', Oliver Sacks described in the chapter "The World of the Simple', how he met “the twins,” John and Michael in a state hospital, at which time they were both twenty-six years old. The twins were certified as retarded but displayed phenomenal mathematical abilities and was for a period celebrities due to this 'talent'. Sacks’ description suggested that the twins are capable of doing arithmetic; they just don’t understand what they’re doing—for this reason, they are still not considered to be 'true' Mathematicians. The term 'idiot-savant' comes to mind.

In the book that I have just started reading, The Number Sense by Stanislas Dehaene, the author described many fascinating findings eg: human infants and even animals have a rudimentary number sense. Dehaene also suggested that this rudimentary number sense is as basic to the way the brain understands the world as our perception of color or of objects in space, and, like these other abilities, our number sense is wired into the brain. In a way being diagnosed with dyscalculia may not be the end of the road for students - interventions and careful application of these will definitely help to close the gaps, at the very least helping them rise to be successful adults with a functional ability for Mathematics.