Hello!
In many cases, if you have a 2nd - 5th grader with direct or consultative occupational therapy services, we are working on some kind of handwriting. In general many students have their letters down by 2nd grade and are now working on writing a sentence(s) legibly with spaces and words on the line. Factors that go into legible handwriting? So many that it requires a list: * tactile discrimination (the ability for the touch sense to interpret what it feels) * proprioceptive input (the ability of the body to interpret it's place in space and to have quality movement) * core strength * the ability to cross midline * Visual tracking and convergence (being able to bring your eyes into your nose, aka cross eyed) * core strength (to be able to sit at a desk and have adequate posture) * shoulder stability (after core strength, the shoulders have to be strong enough to move the rest of the arm) * wrist stabilization (writing with the wrist and forearm placed on the writing surface) * individualized finger movements with the pencil (movement comes from the finger and thumb joint when moving the pencil allowing for proper motor control) * visual perceptual skills (being able to see the paper and understand where to place the letters on the line and where to put spaces) * motor planning (ability to automatically form letters so the brain can focus on writing it's thoughts rather than making the letters) Those are the main factors that I can think of at the moment, but there are probably even a few more! And these are just for the physical act of writing, not the cognitive aspect of having structured thoughts, spelling, and complete sentences with punctuation. In some cases students have the factors I mentioned about but have difficulty with the cognitive process of communicating their thoughts. And other times students have the cognitive process but struggle with the physical -- these students typically do well with typing. So why am I telling you this? Because pick one, any one, and work on it at home if you or your child are looking for something to do :) A simple way to see what your child can do is to give them lined paper, write a sentence that they are able to read, and then ask them to copy it. When they copy you may be able to tell if they have difficulty with the size of their letters, the spacing, or the alignment. If your child has difficulty with the size of letters, regular lined paper my be too small for them. They may do better if you use plain paper and draw lines on it. Many of the students I work with are familiar with small, tall, and fall letters. This is the verbage we use to describe where letters are placed and it helps with alignment and size. Small letters: a,c,e,i,m,n,o,r,s,u,v,w,x,z Tall letters: b,d,f,h,k,l,t fall letters: g,j,p,q,y If you suspect that your child has low core strength - a simple way to tell is if they can lay on their stomach and lift up their arms (superman) and feet and hold for at least 30 seconds. Average for 6 year olds and older is at least 30 seconds. If they cannot hold this position for 30 seconds, then core strength is something they can work on. This can be through holding the superman pose, sit ups, and simply reading or watching tv on their stomachs. Look for more posts and/or videos for ideas for the other factors that contribute to handwriting. Thanks for reading! LeAnn
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AuthorLeAnn Wald Archives
May 2020
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