Handwriting and motor impairments

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  • June 18, 2014 at 6:24 pm
    rebekah
    Participant

    My daughter (8 y.o.) has cerebral palsy and her fine and gross motor skills are significantly impacted in addition to some visual impairments – she can see, but her visual attention and processing skills are not where they need to be. I’m struggling with just how to approach handwriting now that she is getting older. We’ve worked on it for years and I don’t want to give up and have her type all of the time because it is so critical for brain development to write and have the experience of putting pencil to paper. 

    I’ve recently started requiring her to trace one letter (sandpaper or similar) and then attempt to write it, very large, on an easel. We’ve used Handwriting Without Tears and I’m actually also an occupational therapist, but I still get bogged down in the mire when we’ve worked for so long on something and it is just so tedious for me. I do believe she has the ability to learn to write a little, though she will need to move on to typing as she gets older since that will likely be more functional as writing becomes more of a requirement.  

    June 18, 2014 at 6:26 pm
    rebekah
    Participant

    Wow, I realize I sort of didn’t ask a question there. I’m looking for suggestions or ideas mostly. Anything people have tried that there kids have enjoyed that still give them some of the kinesthetic experience of writing without putting unreasonable demands on them due to the visual-motor impairments. 

    June 18, 2014 at 7:17 pm
    Tristan
    Participant

    What about trying writing with different mediums for variety? So markers (dry erase or not), chalk (sidewalk chalk or smaller), crayons (triangular, jumbo, small, etc), paintbrushes, pens, and so on.  All can be done large.  Drawing in rice/beans/sand with fingers or craft sticks.  I don’t know if any of it wll help, but variety is always nice.  Also working on finger strength with various model magic/playdoh/clays (some are super soft and easy to manipulate while others take more strength), beading large wooden beads on pipe cleaners, plunking around on a piano (pushing against the weighted keys).  My kids also like thinking putty – they have color changing ones that would change as she warms them up with her hands in use, there is magnetic thinking putty, and more. 

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