Occupational Therapy: A Smart Start for Kids with Writing Difficulties by Mandi McKnight, OTR-L Published: August 2006 How important is handwriting in today’s classroom setting? This is a timely question for many parents and educators with children ranging from preschool-age to high school. As children learn to write at a younger age, and with the new written essay portion of the Stanford Acheivement Test (SAT) for college admission, the importance of good handwriting is once again emerging as an area of concern. However, kids today don’t always develop a firm grasp of proper letter formation and writing techniques before reaching a grade level in which these skills are no longer taught. This is largely due to a decline in penmanship in recent years. Twenty years ago, penmanship was mostly “drill and skill,” taking up 75 minutes or more of class time per week. But when schools shifted focus to language development, little time was left for formal handwriting instruction in the classroom. Most preschool age children try to learn handwriting on their own, and, while some experience success, some do not. When a child has difficulty with handwriting, many factors could be cause for concern, including hand grasp patterns, visual perceptual skills, hand strength and endurance, motor development, and the child’s sensory processing skills. Handwriting obstacles may arise because the teacher may not be able to focus on that child due to other pressures in the classroom. So why is handwriting instruction important? Printing letters by hand helps children learn to integrate the same types of visual information they use to discriminate and organize letters and words during reading. Additionally, the goal of handwriting instruction is to give children the skills needed to make handwriting automatic. Then a child can focus on writing content, not just the effort to make the letters legible. For children who have difficulty with handwriting, occupational therapy can help. Occupational therapists first evaluate the underlying components that support a student’s handwriting (such as muscle strength, endurance, coordination, motor control, visual perception and integration). Occupational therapists are trained in helping children with a broad range of issues in addition to handwriting. Other types of instruction may include proper keyboarding (when appropriate) and development of home programs so the child can practice new skills at home. Since most schools do not offer services to children whose only difficulty is handwriting, it may be up to the parent to find an occupational therapist in a private clinic. Ask school officials or your pediatrician to provide referals to an experienced pediatric occupational therapist in your area. Inevitably the question of whether your child needs keyboarding instruction will arise, as computers are so prevalent in our society and in today’s workplaces. Most experts agree, however, that handwriting shouldn’t be left out because it has tremendous developmental value for reading, math, science and written expression. Rather, keyboarding should be taught once handwriting becomes automatic, typically around age 10. For children who experience handwriting difficulty as they face the rising classroom demands of middle school, keyboarding can be liberating. Keyboarding can oftentimes give kids a more effective means of communication. So, what should you look for in a good writing program? Look for a multi-sensory approach that combines listening, looking and movement. This type of approach might help your child feel the success of making connections that impact writing, reading, and learning. Giving your child a solid handwriting foundation can help him or her make better transitions into each new grade level.

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