Difficult-to-read-handwriting is one of the most common reasons a child is referred to occupational therapy at school. Even with the increasing use of technology in schools, students spend a large amount of time each day writing, and handwritten tasks are still the most common method teachers use to assess what a student knows. In this hybrid world of computers and paper, we want to give our students the best opportunity for success with both methods. The motoric act of handwriting aids memory, increases brain activation and provides the foundation for higher order thinking skills. When a student is able to write fluently and efficiently, they are able to focus on the content and organization of their writing.
A child is ready for handwriting when they are using utensils, coloring or drawing beyond a scribble, have basic visual perceptual skills and can tell the difference between top/middle/bottom, up/down, big/little and side to side. The typical progression of handwriting development looks something like this:
Areas that may affect handwriting ability that are addressed in occupational therapy include visual motor skills (using the eyes and hands together,) positioning at the desk for stability, pencil grasp, fine motor skills, hand strength, visual perceptual skills and sensory processing skills. There are also several components to handwriting that we assess and address:
The handwriting curriculum that we use in occupational therapy services for letter formation is called Handwriting Without Tears. Handwriting Without Tears teaches the letters in developmental sequence; the ones that are formed similarly are taught together, with the easiest ones starting first (F, E, D and P). Uppercase letters are taught first because they use the simplest strokes. The verbal cues (what the adult says to help the child remember how to form the letter) are consistent, quick and easy to follow. Multisensory methods for teaching letter formation are encouraged, and include wood letter pieces, chalkboards, playdough, fingerpaint, shaving cream, and more. Here is a guide to how the uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers are formed in the program.
Source: http://www.hwtears.com/files/HWT%20Research%20Review.pdf
A child is ready for handwriting when they are using utensils, coloring or drawing beyond a scribble, have basic visual perceptual skills and can tell the difference between top/middle/bottom, up/down, big/little and side to side. The typical progression of handwriting development looks something like this:
- Prewriting strokes of scribbles at age 1, vertical and horizontal lines at age 2, circle and cross at age 3, square at age 4 and triangle at age 5
- Upper and lowercase formations are learned at 5-6 years
- Numbers are learned at 6 years
- Printing simple sentences in first grade
- Printing proficiency achieved in 2nd grade
- Cursive formations learned in 3rd grade
- Cursive proficiency achieved in 4th grade
Areas that may affect handwriting ability that are addressed in occupational therapy include visual motor skills (using the eyes and hands together,) positioning at the desk for stability, pencil grasp, fine motor skills, hand strength, visual perceptual skills and sensory processing skills. There are also several components to handwriting that we assess and address:
- Letter formation - how each letter is made
- Sizing - how big or small the letter is
- Spacing - between letters and words, and organization of writing on the page
- Placement - of the letters on the line
- Proportionality - tall letters tall, small letters small
- Pressure - of pencil to paper
- Erasure - of mistakes and correcting errors effectively
The handwriting curriculum that we use in occupational therapy services for letter formation is called Handwriting Without Tears. Handwriting Without Tears teaches the letters in developmental sequence; the ones that are formed similarly are taught together, with the easiest ones starting first (F, E, D and P). Uppercase letters are taught first because they use the simplest strokes. The verbal cues (what the adult says to help the child remember how to form the letter) are consistent, quick and easy to follow. Multisensory methods for teaching letter formation are encouraged, and include wood letter pieces, chalkboards, playdough, fingerpaint, shaving cream, and more. Here is a guide to how the uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers are formed in the program.
Source: http://www.hwtears.com/files/HWT%20Research%20Review.pdf