The whole mind, body, and environment experience! Handwriting The whole mind, body, and environment experience!

Do you have students who have difficulty with HANDWRITING? There are many factors related to successful performance in the classroom. How much a child has learned is often measured by what they are able to recount, often in the written form. Limited awareness of where your body is in space and how it moves affect all motor output from body posture to fine motor movements such as handwriting.

Work Area A Work Area is very important! It helps with getting started, the process of writing, and concentration. An example is if a child’s work area is messy or disorganized then they may not be able to find the materials needed to get started. After they do get started if the work space continues to be cluttered they may have to write on old papers or books making the writing process difficult. From here if the area is full of fun or other distracting objects it is hard to stay focused. And then after the work is complete if they have a disorganized work area it may be lost in the shuffle.

Some ways to help with work area include: Remove all unused materials from desktop Use a large box lid to act as drawers to help organize inside the desk Have desk cleaning day regularly Tape a file folder to the side of desk for important papers. Velcro pencil to desk Use different color folders. Show copier paper lid.

Sitting Posture Sitting Posture is very important during writing!!! It is difficult to use good writing if you can’t move. Try writing all curled up.

Proper Positioning 1. Soles of feet flat on the floor in front of you 2. Back of knees should be touching the front of the chair. 3. Knees and hips should make the letter “L” (90° angle). 4. Elbows should rest comfortably on your desk (desk heights should be placed 2” above elbow when child’s arms are at his/her side) 5. Paper should be at a 45° angle on the desk 6. Other hand should be open flat and holding down paper.

Adaptations and Equipment Change height of desk &/or chair to get 90° angle Slant boards Boxes, blocks, or phone books to keep feet from dangling Dycem or grip clothes Wiggle cushions T-stool (with supervision) Stand to do work Therapy balls (with supervision) Pass around: slant board dycem wiggle cushion T-stool Therapy ball

Exercises and Movement Activities Can also be used to help with posture and attention. (example have been provided in your pack)

Pencil Grasp Pencil Grasps vary from child to child. Enclosed is a copy of various grasp, but many of our children modify these grasp to suit their own writing ability. The most sought after grasp in the dynamic tripod grasp, but many children do not use this grasp.

Pencil Grasp If a child holds his pencil in a modified grasp that allows for the fingers to move freely to form letters, he/she is holding the pencil adequately. There is a problem if all five fingers are on the pencil, if the wrist is flexed (bent toward the palm), if the elbow is floating off the table surface, or the fingers are hooked around the pencil. Problem if: all five fingers wrist is flexed elbow is floating fingers are hooked (web space)

Pencil Grasp Intervention Shorter Pencils Pinch Clay Avoid round pencils Verbal cues to pinch Modified tripod grasp Decrease writing amount Make grippers Pass around grippers

Pencil Grasp PS Younger children should be using crayons, markers, and chalk to draw and scribble Pre-K is too early in the typical development of the hand to force the use of pencils It can lead to grasp problems in the later grades. Children with delays can also benefite from these tools as well!!!

Pencil Pressure Poor pressure will result in writing that is not legible because it is too light. Excessive pressure can cause fatigue, cramping, and/or poor endurance due to muscle strain. These can be caused by poor grasp, poor strength, and/or poor ability to grade pressure.

Quality of HANDWRITING Writing Quality depends greatly on each child’s development. It includes many components.

Basic strokes = pre-writing shapes Shape Dev. Age I 2yr. 10mo. - 3yr. O 3yr. + 4yr. 1mo. / 4yr. 4mo. □ 4yr. 6mo. \ 4yr. 7mo. Some researchers say that \ develop as late a 6yr.

Letter recognition & Letter formation Without letter recognition there is NO meaning or relevance to write or form letters. Letter formation includes the ability to form the basic strokes in a sequence and the ability to remember how to make each letter

Letter reversals Are common in young children (below 2nd grade) because to them in the real world position doesn’t affect identity. In the real world position doesn’t matter: both are cars But when as they get older they start to use symbols and letters which affects identity. b d (The most common reversal) After 1st grade if this is still occurring it could be due to a spatial relation problem. Spatial Relations ~ Ability to judge distances, distinguish forms, and separate an object from it’s background.

Letter reversals Remediation Work on concepts of directionality up/down right/left top/bottom across/around Alphabet strips (“cheat sheets”) on desks Practicing the prewriting strokes Letter formation Visual & Verbal cues This is where HWT can help!

Far/Near Point Copying & Spacing/ Alignment This requires a lot of integration from the eyes, brain, body, and environment. Far point copying is copying from a distance. Near point copying is copying from close range. Spacing between words and letters. Alignment/placement on the paper and lines.

Copying & Spacing/Alignment Remediation Put overhead on desk for copying Provide notes Keep board clear of clutter Use different colors to chunk information Various papers Popsicle sticks, index fingers, M&Ms between words Exaggerate spacing Show special paper and M&Ms

To keep in mind... Handwriting is a whole mind, body, and environmental experience. If one of these factors is weakened then all the other factors may be affected causing expression to be illegible. Therefore, there are many factors to look at in regard to a child’s performance in the classroom. It’s important to keep in mind that the body should be in an optimal position to receive the information, the environment should be conductive to processing the information, and that a pencil is only as accurate as the hand that controls it.

Conclusion Writing was developed as the most comfortable and efficient way for people to record ideas on paper. Penmanship and self-esteem are closely linked; attention to these links is critical so that children can explore and expand their potential for self-expression to the fullest. (Hanft and Marsh, 1993)