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HANDWRITING... THE BASICS
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'Students in classrooms across the nation must express 90
percent of their day in written communication.' It is no wonder
then, that parents and teachers are concerned for the child
who struggles with handwriting. The ability to write legibly
does not begin when a child enters kindergarten. It begins
in the preschool years with the development of several underlying
skills. The integration of these skills is a complex task.
Before we can assist a child who is experiencing difficulty
with handwriting, we must look at the child's abilities in
each of these skill areas.
VISION Obviously a child
needs to have good visual acuity so that he can see the details
of his written work. He must have the visual motor control
to track across the page and to coordinate his eyes. He will
also need to visualize what numbers and letters look like.
If a child keeps his eye close to his work, or consistently
tips his head to one side he may be having visual problems.
Also watch for excessive blinking, rubbing of his eyes or
excessive watering.
LANGUAGE Children who have
trouble expressing themselves verbally or understanding the
subtleties of what they are hearing, can also struggle with
written expression. They may be working so hard on the language
portion of the task that they cannot attend to the motor portion.
It may be helpful to compare the difference in handwriting
between the child's copying and composing.
FINE MOTOR CONTROL The
child must be able to direct a pencil in a smooth coordinated
manner. If a child has a slight hand tremor or a jerky quality
to his movement, his lines will seem shaky and he will have
difficulty with accuracy. He may use excessive force on his
pencil as he tries to gain more control. To correctly form
a letter or copy what he sees, the child must decide in what
direction to push his pencil and where to begin and end his
pencil stroke. If he is experiencing trouble with motor planning,
his written work will be disorganized and messy. A child with
this problem may also struggle when learning new skills such
as tying shoes, dressing, and skipping. He may seem a little
clumsy.
SENSORY FEEDBACK You may
have experienced the frustration of trying to talk or chew
after the dentist has numbed your mouth. Imagine trying to
hold a pencil, and make precise movements with your fingers
if your hand was numb. When the child's brain does not correctly
understand the sensory feedback received from his hand and
arm, he will experience similar frustration. He may keep his
head close to his hand so he can watch how his hand is moving.
In addition, he is likely to experience difficulty with manipulation
of small objects or use of tools such as scissors.
POSTURE To produce precise
movements with the hand, the child needs to stabilize his
arm at the shoulder and his body in his chair. If the child
is constantly shifting position, leaning or lying on his desk,
or using his nondominant hand to prop himself, he may be having
difficulty maintaining a stable posture. Each letter we form
is a sequence of pencil strokes and each word a sequence of
letters. If a child cannot easily do sequencing tasks, handwriting
will again require excessive effort and concentration. This
may result in reversals of individual letters or in letter
positions within a word.
HOW TO HELP If you feel
your child is having difficulty with handwriting, observe
him in the above skill areas. Review your concerns with his
teacher. Together, you and the teacher may be able to design
a program for your child. Your child will need a program designed
specifically for him as you may find any combination of skill
deficiencies. If your child still is not making satisfactory
progress, seek additional help. There are many professionals,
both in the schools and the private sector, who can assist
in the evaluation and development of these underlying skill
areas. These include: occupational therapists, speech and
language pathologists, learning disability teachers, and optometrists.
Activities to introduce with young children in order to develop
the necessary pre-writing skills - fine motor control, memory,
concentration, sequencing.
 Memory, sequencing & matching games
Puzzles
Alphabet familiarisation
Construction and planning toys
Painting, drawing, and stencilling
The early chidlhood trained staff at Early learning World
can advise you with developmental tools for your child.
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