HWT concerns

[tdbates78]

Hi again! I am sorry for yet another question. I dived right into homeschooling and my mind seems to be going in all different directions and I'm constantly bugging y'all! :)

 

So one of my daughters, who is 7, has high functioning autism and still used a fisted grip when she writes. She had an OT eval and we were suggested HWT so of course I immediately come home and place a large order. I got the Workbook 1, teacher manual, slate chalk board, large lined chalk board, gray block paper and notebook paper.

 

I just started her on it last week and I'm just not feeling it. She knows how to write, and when she wants to she can write well. She is very familiar with all of her alphabet and has been writing it since the age of 3. She writes legibly. Her problems more stem from hurrying, which results in messy writing, word spacing issues and sporatic handwriting (sometimes very large and sometimes super small). I'm wondering if she may have dysgraphia. I pulled her out of public school first grade before winter break, but she went there for pre-k, kindy and half of first grade and has been learning those methods of handwriting for awhile. So of course trying to switch over to the HWT paper and method is challenging.  She seems frustrated because she is being asked to write letters that she already knows how to write, so instead of following the 1-2-3 letter formation directions in HWT she is reverting back to how she already knows how to write them. And to make it more difficult, she is using a special pencil grip to work on holding the pencil correctly, so she is trying to do that and use a new method of forming letters and numbers.

 

It just seems like overkill at this early point. Prior to HWT we were using Draw Write Now, which both of my girls love. Her handwriting did seem to improve just from trying to copy the workbook, although granted that didn't always translate to other writing. It doesn't seem like a traditional handwriting curriculum but I'm really tempted to go back. My gut is telling me to switch back to Draw Write Now or a more traditional method like Zaner-Bloser, that doesn't use all of the manipulatives and different writing paper.

 

Not sure what I should do.  Should I just continue on? Or go back to Draw Write Now? Zaner-Bloser? Or another suggestion?

 

ETA: If I keep going, should I switch her notebooks for other subjects to the HWT notebooks to reiterate what we are learning? And if I want to introduce cursive next year, for both her and her sister, do I have to stick with HWT? I would prefer to use another handwriting curriculum like Zaner-Bloser and I obviously prefer that they both use the same curriculum instead of switching between the two.

 

Thanks!

Tracy

Edited March 6, 2017 by tdbates78

[Jess4879]

 

 

So one of my daughters, who is 7, has high functioning autism and still used a fisted grip when she writes. She had an OT eval and we were suggested HWT so of course I immediately come home and place a large order. I got the Workbook 1, teacher manual, slate chalk board, large lined chalk board, gray block paper and notebook paper.

 

 

This made me smile.  It is so something I would do!  :)

 

Honestly, if Draw Write Now was working and you were all happy with it, that's what I'd use.  HWT is only one tool that works for some kids.  It was great for my oldest and transferred over flawlessly.  For my middle kiddo she is a perfectionist, so she took the examples very literally and would leave HUGE gaps in her every day writing because that is was the HWT books show.  For my youngest, he prefers A Reason For Handwriting (though I do love the HWT prompts and we did teach those.)  Go with what works. :)

[Hunter]

Is Don Potter's Shortcut to Manuscript of any help?

 

http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/shortcut-to-manuscript.pdf

 

It is based on Spalding's Writing Road to Reading instructions.

 

I spent a lot of time looking at HWT and tried to use it a couple times, but chose not to, even after investing in software for it.