The key difference between dyslexia dysgraphia dyscalculia and dyspraxia is the areas of learning they affect. Dyslexia causes reading difficulties, while dysgraphia causes writing difficulties. Dyscalculia causes difficulties related to number-based information, while dyspraxia causes problems in planning and coordination.
Learning disabilities are lifelong problems that occur through neurological disorders. They affect the ability to learn in specific areas such as reading, writing, or maths. A learning disability differs from an intellectual disability since it only affects a specific area of learning. Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia are the most common learning disabilities. These are usually present at birth; however, learning disabilities can also be caused by external influences such as trauma, brain injuries, different experiences, or childhood upbringing. These are usually treated in childhood by pediatricians, occupational therapists, or speech therapists.
Key Terms
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Dyslexia
3. What is Dysgraphia
4. What is Dyscalculia
5. What is Dyspraxia
6. Similarities – Dyslexia Dysgraphia Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia
7. Dyslexia vs Dysgraphia vs Dyscalculia vs Dyspraxia in Tabular Form
8. Summary – Dyslexia vs Dysgraphia vs Dyscalculia vs Dyspraxia
What is Dyslexia?
Dyslexia is a disorder with a learning disability. This involves reading difficulties due to problems in identifying speech sounds and relating them to letters and words. It is also described as a result of individual differences in areas of the brain that process languages. However, it is not a problem with intelligence, vision, or hearing. Emotional support plays an important role in dyslexia.
Signs of dyslexia are difficult to recognize before school until the child starts to read. However, common visible signs include late talking, slow learning, problems forming words, problems remembering, problems in processing and understanding, difficulty in hearing and seeing, slow or difficulty in reading, and avoiding activities that involve reading, speaking, and problem-solving. Undiagnosed and untreated conditions of dyslexia tend to continue into adulthood.
What is Dysgraphia?
Dysgraphia is a neurological condition that creates a learning difference with difficulty in writing. This ranges from issues with writing to translating thoughts into written words. It also creates a disability in thinking despite exposure to instructions and education. Dysgraphia shows many symptoms at different ages. This condition creates a disability in fine motor skills, spatial perception, working memory, orthographic coding that involves letters and numbers, language processing, and organization.
People usually get dysgraphia after some type of head or brain injury or trauma. Therefore, it affects children as well as adults. Signs of dysgraphia include issues with letter formation, letter size and spacing, spelling, grammar, fine motor coordination, composition, and rate or speed of writing. There are no medications to treat this type of condition. However, there are educational interventions such as accommodation, modification, and remediation of the child’s work. Therefore, with early diagnosis, the conditions can be managed.
What is Dyscalculia?
Dyscalculia is a learning disorder that affects the ability to understand number-based information and math. In this disorder, the brain does not process math-related concepts. The symptoms include trouble counting upward, connecting numbers, recognizing numbers, organizing numbers, counting numbers, identifying objects of small quantities, memorizing multiplication tables, understanding problems, measuring items, doing simple calculations, and using money.
People with dyscalculia also show emotional symptoms such as anxiety, agitation, and fear and physical symptoms such as nausea, stomachache, and vomiting. There are other related conditions that often occur alongside dyscalculia. They are attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), sensory processing disorder, dyslexia, dysgraphia, autism, anxiety disorder, behavioural disorder, bipolar disorder, and depression. There are no specific diagnostic tests; however, after diagnosing the disorder due to symptoms, dyscalculia is treatable in children. Such treatments include medications and psychotherapy. It is not treatable in adults unless it is acquired dyscalculia.
What is Dyspraxia?
Dyspraxia is a motor disorder that affects fine and gross motor skills, planning, and coordination. It affects cognitive skills, but it is not related to intelligence. Children born with dyspraxia get late to develop and behave immaturely. In adolescents and adulthood, this leads to learning difficulties and low self-esteem.
Children with dyspraxia show signs and symptoms such as unusual body positions, sensitivity to loud noises, feeding and sleeping problems, delays in crawling, walking, self-feeding and self-dressing, unusual posture, coordination problems, less physical fitness, difficulty in fine motor skills, lack organizational skills, immature behaviour, and inability to learn new skills. Adults with dyspraxia show signs and symptoms such as abnormal posture, fatigue, poor coordination, poor balance and movement, problems with organization and planning, trouble learning new skills, difficulty in writing, social awkwardness, and lack of confidence.
There is no cure for dyspraxia; however, behaviour analysts, occupational therapists, paediatric specialists, physical therapists, psychologists, and speech and language therapists can help with this condition. Risk factors of dyspraxia include premature birth, low birth weight, family history of developmental coordination disorders, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, childhood apraxia, dyscalculia, and dyslexia.
What are the Similarities Between Dyslexia Dysgraphia Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia?
- Dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia are all neurological disorders.
- They all cause learning disabilities.
- Symptoms of these conditions usually appear during childbirth.
- They may also appear in adults due to injuries, trauma, or different experiences.
- Treatments involve pediatricians, occupational therapists, and speech therapists.
- Moreover, there is no cure for all disorders.
What is the Difference Between Dyslexia Dysgraphia Dyscalculia and Dyspraxia?
Dyslexia causes reading difficulties, dysgraphia causes writing difficulties, dyscalculia causes difficulties related to number-based information, and dyspraxia causes problems in planning and coordination. Thus, this is the key difference between dyslexia dysgraphia dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Dyslexia and dyscalculia do not involve problems related to fine motor skills, while dysgraphia and dyspraxia involve problems related to fine motor skills. Moreover, dyslexia involves the dysfunctionality of the lower frontal areas of the brain. Dysgraphia involves the dysfunctionality of the parietal lobe of the brain, while dyscalculia involves the dysfunctionality of the region around the intraparietal sulcus, and dyspraxia involves the dysfunctionality of the parietal lobes.
The below infographic presents the differences between dyslexia dysgraphia dyscalculia and dyspraxia in tabular form for side-by-side comparison.
Summary – Dyslexia vs Dysgraphia vs Dyscalculia vs Dyspraxia
Learning disabilities are problems that occur through neurological disorders. Dyslexia causes reading difficulties, dysgraphia causes writing difficulties, dyscalculia causes difficulties related to number-based information, and dyspraxia causes problems in planning and coordination. Dyslexia and dyscalculia do not involve problems related to fine motor skills, while dysgraphia and dyspraxia involve problems related to fine motor skills. So, this summarizes the difference between dyslexia dysgraphia dyscalculia and dyspraxia. These four different conditions affect the dysfunctionality of different parts of the brain. There is no definite cure for these conditions.
Reference:
1. “Dyscalculia: What It Is, Causes, Symptoms & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
2. “Dysgraphia: What It Is, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
3. “Dyslexia.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.
4. Pietrangelo, Ann. “Dyspraxia: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Treatments.” Healthline, Healthline Media.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Dyslexia” By Scientific Animations – (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Dysgraphia” By Asturnut (talk) – (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
3. “Signs of Dyspraxia” By MissLunaRose12 – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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