Strategies for Handwriting Problem #1: Reversals

Readiness
Body Awareness ! pushing, pulling, jumping, crawling, climbing, rolling Body Scheme ! dress-up, bath time, grooming Spatial Relationships ! hide-outs, obstacle courses ! doll house, toy cars Language Development ! phonemic awareness ! sound-symbol relationships ! words for body parts ! words for spatial relationships Manipulatives ! sorting, matching letters ! build designs and shapes ! student rebuilds Pre-Writing Strokes via Drawing ! top-to-bottom and left-to-right ! counter-clockwise circles ! diagonals ! basic shapes Consistent Instruction ! guided repetition ! special attention to left-handers ! varied sensory input
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Skill Building
Create a frame of reference ! tape a rectangle on board ! tape lines on board ! HWT Grey Blocks Teach letter formation inside the frame ! identify spatial landmarks ! teach starting points ! teach letters in groups Demonstrate correct letter formation ! verbalize spatial concepts ! pair letter formation with phoneme Watch students imitate letter formation ! practice at the board first ! correct errors before giving writing paper ! repeat for motor memory ! insist on writing out-loud ! student copies letter on paper ! monitor for correct formation Present letters by oral dictation ! pronounce phoneme ! student writes letter from memory ! repeat commonly reversed letters: b, d, s, z, p, g, j, f ! monitor for correct formation ! always teach q and u together Focused instruction for left-handers What about the transition to cursive?

Function
Give opportunities to practice writing commonly used words ! reinforce writing out loud ! reinforce sight words ! Dolch phrases ! repetition for mastery

Consider keyboarding ! emphasize typing out loud ! teach spell check ! use AutoCorrect Options

For high school, consider reintroducing upper case block print as: ! Engineering Graphics or ! Architectural Lettering

Dont forget about numerals ! try the Phone Number game ! practice application forms

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SWIDA Conference February 23 , 2008 The Top 5 Handwriting Problems and What to Do about Them - presented by Laura Sena, OTR/L

Strategies for Handwriting Problem #2: Letter Formation

Readiness Skill Building All strategies for Problem #1: Reversals can be used to address Problem #2: Letter Formation See page 5
Daily alphabet drills ! copy from model ! write from memory ! write in reverse order ! fill-in missing letter ! match UC and LC ! dictate phonemes ! speed drills fast & slow Present handwriting words in families ! and, land, hand, sand, band ! look, took, cook, hook, book ! ash, dash, lash, flash, splash Correct letter formation errors before giving worksheets ! dont just focus on the error ! always vote for the best letter ! discuss why it is the best letter

Function

Visual Motor Integration ! draw with an adult ! design copy activities ! chalkboard activities

May not be feasible to correct ingrained letter formation errors in older students ! Jonathan Mooney and the Law of Diminishing Returns Teach older students simple strategies to make writing more legible ! skip a line ! use special paper ! use a margin ! exaggerate spacing Teach symbols and abbreviations for note-taking Modify worksheets Practice practical writing skills ! forms and applications ! signature ! numbers Focus on keyboarding ! motor planning ! motor memory ! assistive technology (A.T.) 7

Pencil Control ! practice starting and stopping ! coloring with crayons ! Squiggle Wiggle Writer

Motor Planning and Motor Memory ! use manipulatives to build designs, shapes, letters, words, numbers ! student rebuilds, then copies from memory ! finger tracing ! air writing with eyes closed ! Tactile Graphics game

SWIDA Conference February 23 , 2008 The Top 5 Handwriting Problems and What to Do about Them - presented by Laura Sena, OTR/L

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Strategies for Handwriting Problem #3: Pencil Grasp

Readiness
Weight Bearing ! shoulder, arm, wrist, palm ! crawling, pushing, pulling, hanging Hand Skill Development ! squeezing, poking, pinching, rolling, twisting ! little tools for little hands ! manipulatives ! Finger Plays Drawing Tools ! Toddlers: short, chunky drawing tools that are held with the whole handtransition to ! Age 4-6: introduce short, tiny drawing tools that are held with the thumb, index and middle fingers (small pieces of crayon or chalk, mini colored pencils, mini markers, Q-Tips) ! Teach how to hold tool Vertical Work Surfaces ! easel ! chalkboard ! wall poster
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Skill Building
Teach correct pencil grasp ! make a thumb dot ! end of pencil points to shoulder ! demonstrate ! observe and cue

Function
It may not be feasible to correct ingrained grasping patterns in older students

May try alternate tools to improve comfort Pencil Exercises ! pencil flip ! pencil crawl

Try speed and accuracy drills

Try pencil grips and alternate tools

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Try slanted writing board Teach stretches to relieve hand fatigue.

Keyboarding!!!!!

SWIDA Conference February 23 , 2008 The Top 5 Handwriting Problems and What to Do about Them - presented by Laura Sena, OTR/L

Strategies for Handwriting Problem #4: Alignment, Spacing, Size Regulation

Readiness Skill Building Function
Keyboarding ! word processing features automate alignment, spacing and size regulation ! editing simplified

Demonstrate alignment, spacing and Activities for body awareness and body size regulation at the board scheme ! floaters and sinkers ! g,j,p,y,qu ! exaggerate spaces Use manipulatives to teach spatial ! Tell me when to stop concepts: ! lining objects in rows ! sequencing from left to right Teach The Slide technique for ! spacing between objects spacing between words ! sorting by size ! slide hand to the right after each word Use manipulatives to teach letters and simple words ! placing magnet letters on a line ! grouping magnet letters into word families ! placing magnetic word tiles on a line to form simple sentences with spaces between tiles Demonstrate simple sentences ! child dictates and adult scribes ! adult models alignment, spacing and size ! adult then discusses with child (e.g. How many words? Show me the spaces between the words. etc)
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Give an example of spacing errors ! Mybigdogislost. Student makes a slash mark between words ! My/big/dog/is/lost. Student copies to correct errors ! My big dog is lost. Trials of different types of lined paper ! raised-line paper ! colored-coded lines ! double-lined HWT paper ! graph paper ! consider appropriate size ! try to be consistent

When handwriting is necessary for older students, try: ! narrow double-lined HWT ! write on alternate lines ! use a margin ! exaggerate spacing ! discuss cursive vs. print ! consider UC print

Modify worksheets ! bigger fill-in-the-blank space ! lines for short answer response

Explore AT options for scanning

SWIDA Conference February 23 , 2008 The Top 5 Handwriting Problems and What to Do about Them - presented by Laura Sena, OTR/L

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Strategies for Handwriting Problem #5: Fluency

Readiness Skill Building Function Work with multidisciplinary team to make decisions about handwriting and keyboarding instruction. Determine how reading, spelling and handwriting curriculums will support each other. Set consistent expectations for handwriting at each grade. Consider the type of paper and writing tools used at each grade. Establish protocols for early intervention for at risk students. Provide accommodations that support function. Conduct training to promote understanding.
Phonemic awareness activities Guided practice with repetition ! short warm-up drills ! word families ! commonly used phrases ! frequently misspelled words ! transcription activities ! near point and far point copying ! write from flash cards ! dictate words in groups ! finish the sentence Writing for fun and function ! directions for games ! recipes, jokes, newsletters ! comic strips Emphasize different stages of writing ! brainstorming ! webbing ! story boarding ! dictating ! key word list ! drafts ! editing ! illustrating
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Rhyming games

Provide a structure ! make a checklist ! build-in breaks ! try a challenge Try directed sensorimotor strategies ! gum to chew ! wiggle cushions ! stretch breaks ! fidgets ! classical music ! pacing with clipboard ! home equipment Keyboarding ! proven programs + adult ! adapted keyboarding instruction ! dictation activities Explore AT options

Word games

Model writing out-loud and typing out-loud

Computer + adult

SWIDA Conference February 23 , 2008 The Top 5 Handwriting Problems and What to Do about Them - presented by Laura Sena, OTR/L

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