Printing Problem too...

[cagirlintexas]

I didn't want to take over someone else's thread so I am posting my own. When do I worry?

 

My son is 5 1/2. We did Handwriting without tears this last year. Mostly just uppercase letters with a little bit of numbers. If you give him anything but a tiny piece of crayon or chalk he doesn't do anything close to a tripod grip. Kinda of holds it with the tips of all 5 fingers.

With the tiny pieces of chalk and crayons he does a better grib.

His handwriting is still really bad though after a year of practice and even worse after taking time off this summer. I know he is a boy and these things take time. So my question is. Should I do something more intensive or just keep going the way we are going.

Other then the writing thing I see no other delay in his fine motor skills.

[duckens]

I know he is a boy and these things take time.

:iagree:

 

At least you have a good plan: using small pieces of chalk or crayon.

 

1) Make sure he writes his name at least once a day.

 

2) If you need re-assurance, check in with the local public school for input.

--In our state, a visiting teacher is required for first grade and higher. (This is actually one of three choices for documentation). Find a visiting teacher and ask.

--Stop by the school and talk with a K or 1st teacher.

--If there is a homeschool coordinator in your town, ask for input/referral from them.

 

***Disclaimer: We are really lucky in our town to have exceptionally good relations between the school system and homeschoolers. Actual results may vary.***

 

3) Have your son write with crayon while talking to him about his grip. Transfer to short pencils, and remind him about good grip down by the point of the pencil. I have marked pencils with a permanent marker or scotch tape (horrid in the pencil sharpener!) to show where it will be held.

[skeeterbug]

If you give him anything but a tiny piece of crayon or chalk he doesn't do anything close to a tripod grip. Kinda of holds it with the tips of all 5 fingers.

With the tiny pieces of chalk and crayons he does a better grib.

 

I was just searching old posts because of this same problem. My son has just turned 5 and has (it sounds like) the same grip. The problem with holding the pencil this way is that he can't press hard enough to form his letters well.

 

Here's my plan after reading old posts:

 

 

• Kleenex trick- I can't get him to keep those last two fingers tucked under, hoping this will help.
  
• Flip the Pencil trick from HWOT- lay pencil down with tip pointing away from you. Pinch where the paint meets the wood using your thumb and first finger. Hold the eraser end and flip it all the way around until it is resting against your hand. (The pencil does a 360.)
  
• Might switch to short pencils.
  
• Depending on how we go I have various pencil grips waiting to try out. He has refused to use them in the past so we may need some chocolate chips or something as a reward for using them.
  
• I'm only letting him colour with crayon rocks until he can consistently show me a proper grip, then I'll let him use his beloved markers again.
  

So wish I'd worked with him earlier on this. It just slipped by and now it's a bad habit for him. But it is now hindering his ability to do his work and it has to be corrected.

[sweetpea3829]

At 5 1/2, I absolutely wouldn't worry about it being a "problem" and would just continue to work on proper mechanics.

 

DD's OT has told us to always make sure all of our kids use short pencils/crayons when writing at this age, that longer pencils are too long for them to use properly.

 

I wouldn't think of it as an issue for awhile yet, especially if you don't notice other OT issues.

[FairProspects]

Well, the messy handwriting is typical for the age, but how does he do when you try to correct the grip? According to our OT, the tripod grasp usually emerges in the 4 y.o. year, but some kids can correct a wrong grip pretty easily with some finger strengthening and a pencil grip.

 

I would try a grip, and focus on playdough play and hand strengthening with some plastic tweezers moving cotton balls from one bowl to another for the next few weeks. If you don't see improvement, then I would start getting referrals for an eval. (those waitlists can be 6 months long).

 

So, how is that for an answer? I wouldn't delay in addressing the issue, but it is not panic time yet. :)

[cagirlintexas]

Thanks everyone. I think we are going to keep the way we are going for now. I have been having him copy the alphabet everyday as practice and really watching him that he is forming things correctly and doing a decent grib. I noticed today even with the small pieces of crayon he still needs reminders. I am also checking in to see what is available as far as getting an evaluation for OT just so I know and keep that in mind if we are still seeing issues after he turns 6. We are in the middle east so not as many resources as in the states.