Screening for motor dysgraphia in public schools.

OBJECTIVE To screen for warning signs of dysgraphia in schoolchildren at the sixth grade of elementary school. METHOD This was a descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional cohort study performed with 630 schoolchildren assessed through the (adapted) Analytical Dysgraphia Inventory, which recognizes difficulties in writing through the tracing the graphics. RESULTS A total of 22% (n=138) of the sample presented all indications of dysgraphia; the most prevalent indicator was ascending/descending/fluctuating lines (53.6%). When the indicators were correlated to gender, males showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in most of them. Among the warning signs of co-occurrences, dyslexia was the most prevalent indicator (22%). CONCLUSION Given the large number of warning signs of dysgraphia observed in schoolchildren, it is advisable to screen for these signs, in order to implement early interventions.