happyWImom Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 And his handwriting is atrocious, and it almost seems to be getting worse. I have tried over & over to get him to hold the pencil correctly, but he always reverts back. Also, I am left-handed & he's not, so it makes it difficult. I do have dh help when he can, but.... Ds is 8, and I was looking at some of his papers from 2 years ago, and the writing was better!!! I'm not sure what to do. I've used HWOT, as well as A Reason For Handwriting, but I hate to spend more money, when the issue may be the pencil holding. Help!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudoMom Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I bought my ds (his writing was awful and got worse) Crossover Pencil Grips. He hated them. So I told him that he didn't have to use them as long as he wrote neatly and held his pencil correctly. The minute I couldn't read his writing or saw he was holding his pencil incorrectly I made him use a grip for the day. He learned rather quickly to exert a bit of effort in this area. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidbits of Learning Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 And his handwriting is atrocious, and it almost seems to be getting worse. I have tried over & over to get him to hold the pencil correctly, but he always reverts back. Also, I am left-handed & he's not, so it makes it difficult. I do have dh help when he can, but.... Ds is 8, and I was looking at some of his papers from 2 years ago, and the writing was better!!! I'm not sure what to do. I've used HWOT, as well as A Reason For Handwriting, but I hate to spend more money, when the issue may be the pencil holding. Help!! My suggestion is to go to therapro.com or your local school supply store (they might have it) and get a claw grip. They are worth their weight in gold. This is a great sampler pack where you can figure out which grip/pencil works for your child. http://www.therapro.com/Pencil-and-Grip-Sampler-I-P4316.aspx I would suggest a slant board as well. http://www.therapro.com/Better-Board-Slant-Boards-P28013.aspx You can make due with a 3" binder until you get a slant board. All student desks used to be slanted to help with handwriting and muscle development. I have done both of these things with my children. They were suggestions from an occupational therapist. I found the different handwriting programs did not really help as much as using these 2 tools. I also have right handed children and I am left handed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 You might need to try a variety of grippers. My son has an OT for handwriting and has tried them ALL. None have truly helped his grip in any way. But, his handwriting has improved, so that is something. A slant board is great. We use a binder. The OT uses a binder and I saw no reason to spend the $$. Make sure he is sitting properly. I have to put a small stool under my son's feet to help him sit correctly. Feet shouldn't be dangling. Another thing that has helped him is holding a small object with the 4th and 5th fingers in his writing hand. We use a small stone, but it could be a marble or a counting bear or a cap eraser. Any small item is fine. It provides some stability to the hand and encourages the correct grip. HWT paper has been great for us. I buy it by the ream from Rainbow. It makes a big difference. That is the only paper my son writes on. You might also consider looking into working with an OT for a few weeks. They can really make a difference. My son gets OT through the public school system, but I understand not all homeschoolers have that as an option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CupOCoffee Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Have you tried a different pencil? The link below shows a Twist 'n Write. They're inexpensive and might be worth a try. http://www.walmart.com/ip/20630476?adid=22222222227014973791&wmlspartner=wlpa&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=&wl3=14106747190&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem I was going to recommend these as well. I use these (pens) for my arthritic hands! My kids are always stealing them, and they love them; they say it makes writing so much easier. You can find them on amazon in a 4-pk for $5.87. ~coffee~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 If you buy a twist and write make sure you also buy extra leads. The ones we used took a size specific to the brand. I couldn't just buy leads for mechanical pencils in an office supply store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 You might need to try a variety of grippers. My son has an OT for handwriting and has tried them ALL. None have truly helped his grip in any way. But, his handwriting has improved, so that is something. A slant board is great. We use a binder. The OT uses a binder and I saw no reason to spend the $$. Make sure he is sitting properly. I have to put a small stool under my son's feet to help him sit correctly. Feet shouldn't be dangling. Another thing that has helped him is holding a small object with the 4th and 5th fingers in his writing hand. We use a small stone, but it could be a marble or a counting bear or a cap eraser. Any small item is fine. It provides some stability to the hand and encourages the correct grip. HWT paper has been great for us. I buy it by the ream from Rainbow. It makes a big difference. That is the only paper my son writes on. You might also consider looking into working with an OT for a few weeks. They can really make a difference. My son gets OT through the public school system, but I understand not all homeschoolers have that as an option. I wondered if there was some type of OT for him, but wasn't sure. If the grips don't work, I am going to check into it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Thanks for all of the great advice-I am going to try out the grips! We did try one a while ago, and I think it did help, but we only had the one and he kept losing it.:sad: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (edited) Yes look into OT. That's exactly what an OT does, improving functional stuff for kids. For kids, their ability to write IS their work (occupation). They make it like play, and your dc is still young enough to cooperate, definitely check into it. The other reason to do it is because there can be *reasons* behind the difficulties. He could have muscle tone, finger agnosia, or other things going on. A good OT will look for all that. Like the others, my dd did OT for handwriting around age 11. It was a good process and it explained a lot. Thing is, you're only looking at his grip right now. My dd did the handwriting getting worse thing, and it turned out there was more going on (vision problems, impulsivity, etc.). It doesn't show when they're younger because the tasks are small. My dd's writing was actually really nice for her age back in K5, 1st, 2nd... As the tasks for school get longer, harder, and more wearying, it comes out. That's why I recommend you take the plunge on an eval, because it starts you into finding out what all is going on. Some people are really freaky about labels and evals, but I'm not. I figure if it's there, you want to know. I DIDN'T get the evals for years with her, and looking back it was unnecessary suffering. You want that information so you can know what all is going on. Sometimes an OT will catch vision problems as well and refer you for a developmental vision eval. Sometimes the grip is off in the hand because the dc is compensating so hard for his eyes. Sometimes it's finger agnosia or sensory. Sometimes you're seeing early indications of adhd and a bit of impulsivity and rushing (just being blunt). I'm not saying impulsivity and rushing as a character/discipline problem but as a developmental thing. The OT eval is just a really practical way to dip your feet in and see what you find out. :) Edited June 13, 2012 by OhElizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ocelotmom Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Another thing that has helped him is holding a small object with the 4th and 5th fingers in his writing hand. We use a small stone, but it could be a marble or a counting bear or a cap eraser. Any small item is fine. It provides some stability to the hand and encourages the correct grip. I just learned this trick yesterday, and it helped.... for me! I've had a bad pencil grip my whole life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Starfall.com is targeted toward younger children, but there are two sections that show a cartoon hand writing letters- I think one is with the sign language alphabet and the other is in the rhyming songs section perhaps. I am left handed and was thrilled to find this resource so that my youngest can see a 'righty' holding a pencil correctly. How exactly is he holding the pencil? Is it a grip issue or a hand-twist issue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 Starfall.com is targeted toward younger children, but there are two sections that show a cartoon hand writing letters- I think one is with the sign language alphabet and the other is in the rhyming songs section perhaps. I am left handed and was thrilled to find this resource so that my youngest can see a 'righty' holding a pencil correctly. How exactly is he holding the pencil? Is it a grip issue or a hand-twist issue? He doesn't grip it in his fist at all, he holds it between the thumb & pointer, but then all of the other 3 fingers are also lined up along the pencil, too-almost how you'd hold a flute or something.:confused: And even when we correct his writing, whenever he draws, colors, etc...., he always hold the crayons & things the wrong way, because he says he can't "do it right" the other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidbits of Learning Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 He doesn't grip it in his fist at all, he holds it between the thumb & pointer, but then all of the other 3 fingers are also lined up along the pencil, too-almost how you'd hold a flute or something.:confused: And even when we correct his writing, whenever he draws, colors, etc...., he always hold the crayons & things the wrong way, because he says he can't "do it right" the other way. dd was 8 when we started remediating her handwriting. I agree with the pp's that you need to get an OT evaluation. You can get a referral from your pediatrician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happyWImom Posted June 13, 2012 Author Share Posted June 13, 2012 dd was 8 when we started remediating her handwriting. I agree with the pp's that you need to get an OT evaluation. You can get a referral from your pediatrician. I think I am going to stop messing around with other stuff until we know. I think the OT eval. is probably what we should go ahead & do. I'm glad to hear that it really made a difference for your dd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Let us know what you find out! :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lilbean05 Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 My second son had a hard time with pencil grip too, doing the same thing with holding the pencil like a flute. I took a paper towel, balled it up, and stuck it in the palm of his hand. He had to hold the balled up towel with the last three fingers while doing his pencil grip. After about a week or so of this, he had it figured out and now he has great form and writing. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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