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Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry logoLink to Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry
. 1983 Jun;46(6):573–575. doi: 10.1136/jnnp.46.6.573

Dysgraphia for letters: a form of motor memory deficit?

N Kapur, N F Lawton
PMCID: PMC1027454  PMID: 6875593

Abstract

A case of pure dysgraphia is presented in which the patient could accurately copy letters which she could not write. The patient did not show any evidence of significant reading or speech impairment or any buccofacial or limb apraxia. Both oral and "block spelling" performance were intact. The writing impairment, which was bilateral, appeared to consist of a memory difficulty for the motor movements associated with letters. The dysgraphia was shown to be specific to letters as the patient was able to transcribe certain numbers and patterns which were similar to letters in their visuospatial complexity. It is suggested that dysgraphia for letters may represent a specific type of motor memory deficit, dissociable from copying skills and the ability to draw letter-like forms.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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