Handwriting

[Guest guest]

I had the same problem in school so I used a computer for all writing work.

The school board provided one for me because it was written in my IEP.

Your son might benefit from one too.

Amy

HANDWRITING

> My 9 yr old son is a dwarf. He is extremely intelligent and does very

well in school, both socially and academically. There is one exception,

however. His handwriting is awful and he never wants to write, though he is

a very good artist. His teacher is concerned that his handwriting and

perceived lack of interest in writing will affect him in the higher grades.

I need some advice. Does anyone have any dos or don'ts regarding this

matter. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

>

> Thanks

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

For Sheila and All:

I've had the same question about my daughter (, age 9, SEDC) and

handwriting. Her hands are " normal " , just small. But her handwriting is

atrocious! So, I'd appreciate input as well ...... since we home school, I

don't know if I'm being too " easy " or " hard " on her about her penmanship. I

don't want to let her slide if it's just laziness, but neither do I want to

penalize her if it's physical.

Thanks for any input as well~

Marji

[Guest guest]

As far as the bad handwriting goes how about getting them to use a smaller

pen/pencil one that has a good grip which would be easier. Our hands are

smaller than the average person's and some pens/pencils out there are quite

to handle.

Helen

[Guest guest]

As far as the bad handwriting goes how about getting them to use a smaller

pen/pencil one that has a good grip which would be easier.  Our hands are

smaller than the average person's and some pens/pencils out there are quite

to handle.

Helen

[Guest guest]

I have a 10 year old son who is NOT an LP and he also has HORRIBLE handwriting.

He spent the first half of 3rd grade in a school where the teacher was strict

when it came to penmanship, and his handwriting improved. Now, we have moved

and he has slipped into bad habits. I know I should work with him more:(

I know there are some types of dwarfism (I'm pseudo) than have problems gripping

a pen/pencil and I am sure that would make neat handwriting more difficult. I,

too, was homeschooled as a child, through Calvert School. Calvert was VERY

strict on handwriting, you had to conform to " Calvert Script " . That training

has stuck with me, and, I have nice penmanship today.

Now I will go home tonight and make Jude begin writing " The quick brown fox... "

[Guest guest]

I need help buying shoes. I have a size 3 foot but it is wide and has a high

instep. can only wear sneakers

>From: HelenJW@...

>dwarfism

>Subject: Re: HANDWRITING

>Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 08:57:55 EST

>

>As far as the bad handwriting goes how about getting them to use a smaller

>pen/pencil one that has a good grip which would be easier. Our hands are

>smaller than the average person's and some pens/pencils out there are quite

>to handle.

>

>Helen

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

One thing I've noticed is that, due to my short fingers and lack of as

much strength in them, I've always held my writing utensil between my

third and fourth fingers (middle and ring), insted of my second and

third as is taught in school. It gives MUCH more stability to the

pencil, and lets me get a firm grip no matter the width. Granted,

school will try to teach one particular " right " way to write, but

perhaps experimenting with how the pencil is held and talking to the

teachers about it may help.

*plinkplink* (my two cents)

[Guest guest]

My son's OT has been doing "Handwriting without Tears" with him for several years now. There are books specifically for cursive. Pam :)The year's hottest artists on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards. AOL Music takes you there.

[Guest guest]

Debra - It is common for many of our kids to be dysgraphic. My 17 yo son is and his printing is horrible - looks like it was done by a first grader. While his cursive is much better it is very laborious for him - takes him 2-3 times as long to write something in cursive as it does if he prints it. We did not get his Aspergers diagnosis until he was 15. If I had known earlier maybe OT would have helped. Now, he does as much of his school work as he can on the computer. He goes to a private school and they are given (well, we actually pay for it!) a computer when they first register.Debra Balke <dlbalke@...> wrote: Roxanna...... What have you done about handwriting with your kids? My 12 year old never learned cursive writing well. (That was the year they were going to cure all of his problems at school by pulling him out of class until his "learning to learn" skills were better. Unfortunately, his learning to learn skills were as good as they were going to get at that age so he just lost out on a ton of academics that year and learned more maladaptive skills like tormenting the aide. Why did I trust these people...... but that is another story. Homeschooling now and it is a godsend.) He keyboards

fantastically so it isn't an issue. BUT, I would like him to be able to write in cursive fluently and especially read cursive easier. What have you all done with this issue? I know the standard answer is to teach them to type and that has been done. Is there a quick and easy good workbook for cursive. Just so he can get a little better at it and be more familiar with reading it. We need a 12 year old level or adult level cursive writing workbook. Something maybe he can trace over the letters/words 5 minutes each day or something simple like that. P.S. Thanks for this listserv. It is fantastic and you all are such an inspiration to me! I couldn't do it without all of your support. We share so many of your issues

with schooling, peers, IEP struggles, educational options, behaviors, meds, moods, doctors, etc. etc. etc...... This site has helped us more than any therapy...... ......

[Guest guest]

Hi Debra,

There are workbooks out there for just this thing. Both for younger kids and older kids. I have not personally used any of them so I can only give out some names/titles but not whether they are good or not. Maybe if anyone else has used these products, let us know what you think!

The Write Start

Sensible Pencil

Handwriting without Tears --> http://www.hwtears.com/

You might be interested in this one (it looks like fun plus works on cursive handwriting and it is not expensive) --> Cursive Handwriting, found at www.difflearn.com It is a workbook with activities for about $7.50

Here is the link to the actual workbook --> http://www.difflearn.com/prodinfo.asp?number=DRH%20213 & top=42

Here is a fun page - you can make your own handwriting worksheets. The one on the right column does cursive but each letter is not connected. However, you can type in any word(s) or phrases and it puts the worksheets together for you. So that is pretty cool --> http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/

Here is another website full of activities you can print up yourself. It has both manuscript and cursive sections. And it has lined pages you can print up for your child to practice on. For cursive, it has pages you can print that teach the right way (with arrows) to make each letter.

Here is an interesting site with some worksheets you can print up and use for cursive writing --> http://www.donnayoung.org/penmanship/big-cursive.htm

Just a few ideas. <GG>

RoxannaAutism Happens

( ) handwriting

Roxanna......

What have you done about handwriting with your kids? My 12 year old never learned cursive writing well. (That was the year they were going to cure all of his problems at school by pulling him out of class until his "learning to learn" skills were better. Unfortunately, his learning to learn skills were as good as they were going to get at that age so he just lost out on a ton of academics that year and learned more maladaptive skills like tormenting the aide. Why did I trust these people...... but that is another story. Homeschooling now and it is a godsend.)

He keyboards fantastically so it isn't an issue. BUT, I would like him to be able to write in cursive fluently and especially read cursive easier.

What have you all done with this issue? I know the standard answer is to teach them to type and that has been done. Is there a quick and easy good workbook for cursive. Just so he can get a little better at it and be more familiar with reading it. We need a 12 year old level or adult level cursive writing workbook. Something maybe he can trace over the letters/words 5 minutes each day or something simple like that.

P.S. Thanks for this listserv. It is fantastic and you all are such an inspiration to me! I couldn't do it without all of your support. We share so many of your issues with schooling, peers, IEP struggles, educational options, behaviors, meds, moods, doctors, etc. etc. etc...... This site has helped us more than any therapy......

.......

[Guest guest]

Handwriting Without Tears is the best I've ever seen or used! My

daughter's OT just got trained using it and I have a set at home I use.

The program follows developmentally appropriate practices using wooden

pieces to form letters on the floor. I really wish our school district

used it instead of pushing the same papers home with dots to write her

name. Kristianna is 4 and she has 10 letters in her name! She really

isn't ready to write. We are still working on circles, 'Mat Man' (which

teaches body awareness) and crossing the midline. You can google it and

get more information.

[Guest guest]

Dear Iris,

My son, , also has difficulties with his handwriting. Our OT also tried Handwriting Without Tears, but it was not until we began working his Grasp reflex that we made any progress. Handwriting is a very difficult process for still ( he is 11and has Dsypraxia), but along with the finger and wrist dexterity provided with the Grasp reflex, we also spend a huge amount of time working his foot and core Tendongard reflex. I find the whole process is so much easier for him if his whole body is calm and reading all the sensory messages properly. Doing the Tendongard work twice a week and having him do 5 minutes of calf pumps and other stretching exercises before beginning any writing eliminates the frustration for him and he can get work done in a quarter of the time it use to take. In addition to the improved handwriting, working his reflex program has in fact improved his memory tenfold as his teacher can attest to.

could not even remember the names of the numbers sometimes, after six months of Masgutova work he began to show improvement in his schoolwork, because he can remember what he learned in the previous lesson. We have had more success with MNRI than any other program we have tried in the last 5 years. Good luck to the both of you and your family.

Aisha

From: Iris von Birgelen <irisvonbirgelen@...> Sent: Tue, May 17, 2011 3:21:59 AMSubject: Handwriting

Dear friends, Can anybody share with us their successful experiences in improving handwriting at age 7. We have started now Handwriting without tears, but we still do not see any improvement. In October we will go for a family camp in Poland. Maybe one of the reflexes will further support him with his handwriting. An OT told us that he has a nice tripod but apparently his pointing finger pushes too strongly. Our son does not like to write, in fact he has shown us that he can make beautiful letters, but this is only when he is reminded of writing nicely. Will working on reflexes also support him with improving his memorisation and word finding?Thanks for sharing your experences. Best regards, Iris Iris