Re: pencil grasp

[Guest guest]

Yes it should be along with correct posture while writting.

Becky

--- Original Message ---

From: " kristyray@... " <kristyray@...>

Sent:Wed 2/17/10 7:51 am

Subj:( ) pencil grasp

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an

improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's

also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher

seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically

mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this

should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

Thanks,

Kristy

[Guest guest]

Hi Kristy,

For us, we had 2 kids that didn't hold their pencil "correctly". I don't either.

Anyway, it was brought up to us when they were in K, also. They told the kids and us,,,,but didn't push it after that.

My son who has AS has always broken his lead, etc. He'd even push so hard that he ripped the paper with his lead. That was all sensory, we were told, though.

I wouldn't really worry about it, if it were me.

Good luck and have a super day!!!!

It really is simple. Just treat others kindly and with respect.

Robin

From: kristyray@... <kristyray@...>Subject: ( ) pencil grasp Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 5:04 PM

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.Thanks,Kristy

[Guest guest]

My daughter, now in 4th grade still does not use the proper pencil grasp. We have worked with her on it and what we have found to help is pencil grips. She still writes heavy and hard, but I am ok with sending in lots of pencils to school.

From: kristyray@... <kristyray@...>Subject: ( ) pencil grasp Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 11:04 PM

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.Thanks,Kristy

[Guest guest]

Kristy, yes, it should be corrected now. In 2nd grade it still wasn't corrected

with Hunter and they started Occupational Therapy with him. He still (6th grade)

writes hard but is much much better, and he uses mechanical pencils with a #9

lead (very thick). Hunter's teachers should have caught and corrected this

earlier! Good luck working with his teacher on this.

in SD

>

> This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an

improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's

also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher

seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically

mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

> Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that

this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

>

> Thanks,

> Kristy

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this info! My daughter needs help with her grasp!!

Jen

Emery 5 AS/ADHD/K in the fall

Donna wrote:

>

> Kristy,

> Don't know if this will help, but my son has fine and gross motor

> skills issues and has difficulty even now (almost 12) with his pencil

> grasp. We have tried so many different pencil grips, types, etc., but

> what works best is Dixon Primary Printer #1~309 red pencil. He has a

> great grasp with it and can write farily well.

> Donna

>

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

>

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07:35:00

[Guest guest]

My son, now 21, had an awkward grasp too. I also kept mentioning it to his

teachers but would get brushed off with " we'll remind him. " He also pushed down

hard to make it darker. Sigh! Years later in 6th grade some other stuff came

up and a neurologist saw him and regarding his pencil grip and writing could

tell that writing was hard for him (motor skill too) and so neuro prescribed OT

for him.

I have to say OT really helped. They worked on his whole body actually. I

thought they wouldn't ever get started on his writing ( " you know he's here for

his writing??! " ) but they helped him overall. And did a lot of fine motor skill

games too. When they got to the writing, they worked on his being able to be

neater (OH, they gave up on changing his grip). So after neater, they worked on

being able to write for longer periods without tiring. And then then they

worked on building up his speed writing and keeping it legible. Really helped

over time. Still the awkward grip but not really a problem now.

So - I'd ask for an OT evaluation and state your reasons why you feel he needs

one, might have to ask in writing a letter to keep them from brushing you off

(which I didn't do back then). Mention that there will be more writing required

each grade, longer assignments, etc.

Good luck,

>

> This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an

improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's

also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher

seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically

mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

> Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that

this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

>

> Thanks,

> Kristy

>

[Guest guest]

I was told by my dd's dr's and counselor's that writing is very

difficult area for Asperger's kids. My daughter will tell you that

it is difficult for her to keep up with note taking, especially

starting in the higher levels of school.

Her disability office at UCF will let her have a note taker from

the class (they ask anonomously to the class) and they'll email

their notes to her) OR she can decide if she wants to just do

them on her laptop. Depends on the difficulty she is experiencing

with that particular class.

I do not understand why the colleges will work with this part of

asperger's but not public middle/high schools. Oh, I guess you

can bring your laptop but they aren't responsible for stealing.

She writes very slowly, and with much effort. Of course, we did

not have access to any of the therapies mentioned here in the

early years. Jo

> >

> > This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an

improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's

also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher

seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically

mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

> > Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that

this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Kristy

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks everyone!

I picked up some pencil grips today. I have to help him place his fingers on

it, but then he's comfortable with it. We're going to try to keep working with

him every evening.....which we all know means meltdown central around here!

hehehe

Thanks

Kristy

>

>

> From: kristyray@... <kristyray@...>

> Subject: ( ) pencil grasp

>

> Date: Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 11:04 PM

>

>

>  

>

>

>

> This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an

improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's

also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher

seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically

mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

> Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that

this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

>

> Thanks,

> Kristy

>

[Guest guest]

Thank you Chris! I'm actually dealing with the special ed dept right now trying

to get an OT eval. They are trying to brush me off a bit b/c he's only in

Kindergarten and " it's not THAT bad " but the point I have been trying to make is

that the gap between his skills and his peers is just going to get bigger if he

doesn't get some help now.

Thanks

Kristy

>

> So - I'd ask for an OT evaluation and state your reasons why you feel he needs

one, might have to ask in writing a letter to keep them from brushing you off

(which I didn't do back then). Mention that there will be more writing required

each grade, longer assignments, etc.

>

> Good luck,

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

We used pencil grips with my daughter as well. I tried lots of different ones. I found one that worked really well, and I am still finding them floating around the house. The main place I found them was at a parent teacher store, but I did notice towards the end of us needing them that Books-a-Million had them.

Thanks everyone!I picked up some pencil grips today. I have to help him place his fingers on it, but then he's comfortable with it. We're going to try to keep working with him every evening.....which we all know means meltdown central around here! hehehe :)ThanksKristy

[Guest guest]

would they allow mini recorders. I know that when I was in college and grad school I taped all of my lectures. and then rewrote all of my notes in the dorm room.

I was told by my dd's dr's and counselor's that writing is verydifficult area for Asperger's kids. My daughter will tell you thatit is difficult for her to keep up with note taking, especiallystarting in the higher levels of school.Her disability office at UCF will let her have a note taker fromthe class (they ask anonomously to the class) and they'll emailtheir notes to her) OR she can decide if she wants to just do them on her laptop. Depends on the difficulty she is experiencingwith that particular class. I do not understand why the colleges will work with this part ofasperger's but not public middle/high schools. Oh, I guess youcan bring your laptop but they aren't responsible for stealing.She writes very slowly, and with much effort. Of course, we didnot have access to any of the therapies mentioned here in theearly years. Jo

[Guest guest]

To help with my daughter's pencil grasp we also had her string lots and lots of beads. We did lots of activities to help with the fine motor skills. We could. She made LOTS and LOTS of necklaces while sitting in church.

[Guest guest]

Kristy, just thinking. Maybe do a follow-up letter to your request and state

this should be addressed before it becomes " habit " as the grasp makes him work

harder to write, tires him more, etc. And that, as I might have said before,

there will be more writing required as he progresses each grade, plus learning

cursive.... Mention that gap, it's throwing him behind his peers, he will just

struggle more as time goes by and the workload becomes more.

Sort of funny, when they worked to change 's pencil grip he did do it the

" right " way some in practice and they wanted it to become natural, habit, etc.

Anyway, when I went to OT to pick him up one day, he was still doing his writing

exercise, and they happily commented on his grasp. I told to tell them

WHY he was holding it that way, and he said because they want me to but he

didn't like it, preferred his old way. So that's when they gave up changing it

(his brain was now wired that way I guess) and just worked on making it work

with his awkward grasp. He was in 6th grade when OT began and was in OT for 1.5

or maybe 2 years.

Add to story -- school OT did evaluate him in elementary school, maybe 3rd

grade, though not for his pencil grip, just an overall evaluation. She said at

that time that he had sensory issues and I'm thinking she said then that his

brain was now wired to that pencil grasp.... But didn't feel he needed OT,

started us on the brushing protocol, pressure points type thing at home, but no

OT. Anyway, in 6th grade with the neurologist referral to give him OT, it was

the same OT that did that elem school eval that we ended up with (this was

private OT, small town, she worked for school and others). Sort of ironic,

she's helping him with things that she could have done in elem school. I was

nice, never said a thing about it!

>

>

> Thank you Chris! I'm actually dealing with the special ed dept right now

trying to get an OT eval. They are trying to brush me off a bit b/c he's only

in Kindergarten and " it's not THAT bad " but the point I have been trying to make

is that the gap between his skills and his peers is just going to get bigger if

he doesn't get some help now.

>

> Thanks

> Kristy

[Guest guest]

I agree that the longer it goes on, the harder it will be to re-train him later.

My son is getting help now in preschool for it; he's 4 1/2.

TJ

> >

>

> > So - I'd ask for an OT evaluation and state your reasons why you feel he

needs one, might have to ask in writing a letter to keep them from brushing you

off (which I didn't do back then). Mention that there will be more writing

required each grade, longer assignments, etc.

> >

> > Good luck,

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

My 4year old DGS has just started OT and

her first move with him to help his writing pressure and grip is for him to use

pencils NOT longer than 1.5 inches. He cannot use a four finger grip like he

was because the pencil is not long enough. Seems to be a plus so far.

You can get the special premade pencils

and crayons on Sensory / OT sites

Good luck

Teri

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of juice011111

Sent: Friday, February 19, 2010

4:40 PM

Subject: ( ) Re:

pencil grasp

I agree that the longer it goes on, the harder it will

be to re-train him later. My son is getting help now in preschool for it; he's

4 1/2.

TJ

> >

>

> > So - I'd ask for an OT evaluation and state your reasons why you feel

he needs one, might have to ask in writing a letter to keep them from brushing

you off (which I didn't do back then). Mention that there will be more writing

required each grade, longer assignments, etc.

> >

> > Good luck,

> >

> >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

We did use little pencils for a while too. The kind you find at miniature golf. We also used little bitty pencils that we got from oriental trading company. They just fit in her fingers. They were teddy bears and she loved them.

In a message dated 2/20/2010 2:45:33 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, teri@... writes:

My 4year old DGS has just started OT and her first move with him to help his writing pressure and grip is for him to use pencils NOT longer than 1.5 inches. He cannot use a four finger grip like he was because the pencil is not long enough. Seems to be a plus so far.

You can get the special premade pencils and crayons on Sensory / OT sites

Good luck

Teri

[Guest guest]

It is far easier to correct at the beginning than to try to fix it years later. So I would push to get it fixed now. Handwriting is such a problem area for these kids.

Roxanna

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." E. Burke

( ) pencil grasp

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

Thanks,

Kristy

[Guest guest]

I'd like to add, about HANDWRITING: our son doesn't have services at school but at home....not because we have not tried at SCHOOL but I can tell you that, as his mom (and parent), my son, having ASPERGERS, and just one way to do things, etc. UNLESS WE TEACH HIM MORE THAN ONE--using that concept, I WORK WITH HIM MYSELF on his handwriting.........like ANYTHING ELSE, IF WE DO NOT SAY ANYTHING OR WORK WITH THEM, they don't know and do as they know. OUR SON made e's that literally I WAS ALWAYS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THINGS SAID, and seems another letter, so my son and I talked about this, practiced, and I do it about once a week now with him (have this whole 3rd grade school year). The other day, he told me, when I praised him for his excellent penmanship, that OH, that is BECAUSE he went through when he was done and FIXED all the e's! I COULDN'T TELL! So, guess it may not be that he is doing it right 'the first time' but HE KNOWS IT IS AN ISSUE and fixing it!!!! So, I WOULD ALSO SAY if school isn't doing something, WE CAN CERTAINLY FIX AND HELP A LOT OURSELVES!!!! NO ONE SAID ANYTHING TO MY HUSBAND (whom doesn't have any diagnosis), and he has some letters that sometimes later on, even he isn't sure what he wrote, so that is MY TWO CENTS worth..........

Ruthie Dolezal

From: MadIdeas@...Date: Sun, 28 Feb 2010 09:42:13 -0500Subject: Re: ( ) pencil grasp

It is far easier to correct at the beginning than to try to fix it years later. So I would push to get it fixed now. Handwriting is such a problem area for these kids.

Roxanna"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." E. Burke

( ) pencil grasp

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.Thanks,Kristy

[Guest guest]

This is true. I have had bad experiences in trying to get help for handwriting issues from school OT's as well. I finally went and bought "Handwriting without Tears" which I wish I had done in the beginning.

Roxanna

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." E. Burke

( ) pencil grasp

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

Thanks,

Kristy

[Guest guest]

I have been told not to worry about handwriting as kids now a days use the computer often. However after saying that - school has given my son a clipboard that sits up therefore he doesn't have to push down.

What is AlphaSmart?

From: <teamjakob06@...>Subject: Re: ( ) pencil grasp Received: Monday, 1 March, 2010, 1:51 AM

Because of my sons difficulty with hand writing, we {the school and I} decided he would use the AlphaSmart to complete written assignments. Well now, since the stress is off of him writing, sometimes he writes and sometimes he uses the AlphaSmart, it is kind of weird how that happened. But my advice would be get ask for an OT. He/she will work with him on his pencil grip and fine motor skills. You can also go online to www.integrationscat alog.com and search for pencil grips, and they will help him to hold the pencil correctly. You can also tape a car to the pencil or drill a hole threw a tennis ball and put the pencil threw it to help him write. I did all these things when Jakob was in Kindergarden and it was much easier on him emotionally and socially. Hope it works out for you!

Blessing, TeamJakobSupport children with Aspergers,With your support their is no limit to Jakob's success!!

From: Roxanna <MadIdeasaol (DOT) com> Sent: Sun, February 28, 2010 9:42:13 AMSubject: Re: ( ) pencil grasp

It is far easier to correct at the beginning than to try to fix it years later. So I would push to get it fixed now. Handwriting is such a problem area for these kids.

Roxanna"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." E. Burke

( ) pencil grasp

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.Thanks,Kristy

[Guest guest]

I think schools say that to avoid having to provide services. Kids do a LOT of handwriting in school. Providing an alpha smart is a great idea. But don't neglect the other half of the problem - remediation! Get OT to work on handwriting to improve it as much as possible over the long term. Do this in addition to accommodating the problem.

Roxanna

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." E. Burke

( ) pencil grasp

This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

Thanks,

Kristy

[Guest guest]

I don't know how realistic this would be for a kindergartener, but my son is 13

now and he has been using erasable pens for the past two years. He much prefers

them to pencils, and the school has been fine wiwith that...

>

> This probably seems minor, but it was noted in my son's eval that he has an

improper pencil grasp, often breaking the lead and leading to frustration. It's

also well known that he struggles with handwriting. The Kindergarten teacher

seem oblivious, even after being given a copy of the eval and I specifically

mentioned it to her while handing over the eval.

> Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that

this should be taught and corrected in Kindergarten.

>

> Thanks,

> Kristy

>