Neural correlates of paediatric dysgraphia.

Writing is an important skill that is related both to school performance and to psychosocial outcomes such as the child's self-esteem. Deficits in handwriting performance are frequently encountered in children with developmental coordination disorder. This review focuses on what is known about the neural correlates of atypical handwriting in children. Knowledge of the neural correlates is derived from studies using clinical case designs (e.g. lesion studies), studies using neuroimaging, and assessment of minor neurological dysfunction. The two functional imaging studies suggest a contribution of cortical areas and the cerebellum. The largest study indicated that cortical areas in all regions of the brain are involved (frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital). The two lesion studies confirmed cerebellar involvement. The findings of the study on minor neurological dysfunction in children with writing problems correspond to the imaging results. The limited data on the neural substrate of paediatric dysgraphia suggest that at least a subset of the children with dysgraphia have dysfunctions in extensive supraspinal networks. In others, dysfunction may be restricted to either the cerebellum or specific cortical sites.