Psychophysiological Mechanisms of Writing Difficulties in Schoolchildren

The temporal and qualitative organization of writing movements was studied in six- to seven-year-old and nine- to ten-year-old right-handed and left-handed children with underdeveloped visuomotor coordination. The characteristic features of the temporal and qualitative organization of these movements at different stages of motor skill formation were found. Regarding the temporal structure of the series of writing movements, a pause was observed between individual movements in the series of motor task formation. The duration of this pause may serve as a criterion of the degree and efficiency of writing skill formation. The disturbance of the temporal structure of movements during the formation of handwriting speed at the initial stages of learning deteriorated the temporal organization of movements, drastically decreased the quality, and impeded the formation of the skill. The destructive processes were more pronounced in the case of accelerated handwriting in left-handed children and especially in children with underdeveloped visuomotor coordination.