Writing Impairment in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy with Predominant Speech/Language Disorder

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of handwriting in the clinical picture of progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). The study aims to characterise the handwriting disorders in a patient with the language variant of PSP. The data analysis encompasses results from neuropsychological assessments over three years. The research material consisted of samples of written discourse, copied texts, and dictation. The handwriting samples were subjected to a multifaceted analysis from both the perspective of its graphic representation and spelling. Handwriting disorders primarily affect the graphic aspect of writing. The authors created a register of symptoms related to graphomotor difficulties, analysed changes occurring at different stages of the study (I–III), and drew conclusions regarding the causes of the disorders. The difficulties were primarily due to oculomotor dysfunction, impaired finger dexterity, and hand-eye coordination problems. Initially, the texts were legible, but then they became illegible. The patient consistently completed writing tasks based on her long-retained spelling skills. In this context, the need to recognise graphomotor difficulties using linguistic and non-linguistic materials was emphasised, as this is the most accurate way to identify patients’ problems. The value of case descriptions was highlighted as a source of expanding knowledge about specific problems in written communication and the possibilities of individualising therapeutic interventions in cases of PSP.