HANDWRITINGWITHOUT TEARS
Handwriting is a multifaceted process of coordinating hands, arms, eyes and body posture. While it is undoubtedly important for writing-- in fact, K-5 teachers indicate that 24 to 58 percent of classroom time is spent writing on paper -- it is also a building block for many other skills. Being able to print letters clearly and with ease impacts children’s self-esteem, physical development, literacy skills, memorization and creative writing. As a parent, you may notice that your child struggles with handwriting. To be sure, 10 to 30 percent of elementary children do. Here are some tips for making handwriting more successful, and also ways that a pediatric physical therapist may help. WHAT YOU CAN DO? Help him increase his hand strength and writing endurance by: • Offering him a tennis ball with a slit in it; hide small objects inside the ball so that he must squeeze the tennis ball in order to retrieve the objects; • Asking him to crumple a sheet of newspaper in one hand while his arm is raised; • Suggesting that he use his fingers to “walk” a tennis ball up and down his legs using one hand; • Hiding objects in silly putty or theraputty for him to find. MAKE IT FUN. A lot of children and adolescents simply grow bored by the mechanical act of writing. You can make it more enjoyable by mixing up how and why your child writes. Also, mix up the reasons that he’s writing. Depending on his age, one day he might try circling a certain letter in the newspaper, and the next day he may send a postcard to Grandma. INCREASE STRENGTH. A significant number of children lack the body strength to support lengthy stretches of writing time. It’s important for your child to gain strength, not only in his hand, but also in his shoulder muscles. Some suggested exercises to do this include: • People Push: Two children stand facing one another with their palms touching and one leg in front of the other. On the count of three, they begin pushing each other as hard as possible until one person falls over. If there
is a clear strength imbalance, encourage the stronger person to “go easy” or only use one hand. • Wall Push: With hands at shoulder-height, push against a wall as though it is falling down. Hold the position for 5 to 10 seconds, then run around before repeating the exercise. How a pediatric physical therapist (or occupational therapist) can help A physical therapist’s role in this case is to assess the child’s handwriting and recognize any issues that make handwriting difficult. A pediatric therapist can evaluate a child for sensory, motor, perceptual and postural deficits. The therapist can suggest modified equipment, such as pencil grips, adjusted tables or differently-shaped writing instruments. As technology becomes more pervasive, it may seem that handwriting is growing obsolete. However, this is an erroneous conclusion. People still need the skills to pen information carefully. If you suspect your child’s development is lagging, it may be time to consult a pediatric therapist or other professional for intervention. Sources: http://www.aota.org/about-occupational-therapy/patients-clients/childrenandyouth/ schools/handwriting.aspx http://occupationaltherapyforchildrenover-blog.com/article-handwriting-67838149.html
Patient Spotlight
“I have seen him improve a lot!” “My son has autism and he has been seeing an OT and speech therapist here in Sensational Kidz for around 6 months and I am very pleased. He has been learning and blooming a lot. The therapists are great, very affectionate, patient, knowledgeable, and caring. I look forward to keep seeinghim thrive. Iappreciatehowaccommodating theyarewithschedules and helpful when there is a change. I wish they had more hours during the week for working parents, but I know they are trying to offer the most they can. I have seen him improve a lot. I am very happy with that.” - Ms.Toledo
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