HANDWRITING ! LET'S GET READY!

1. HANDWRITING!LET'S GET READY!

2. Fine Motor Principals Stability before mobility A. body B. furniture Sensory supports Motor Proximal to Distal (large to small) Palm to finger Hands used together Hands used separately Developmentally ready!

3. Birth to 3 months

4. 4 through 6 months

5. 10 through 12 months

6. 19 through 24 months *

8. TWO YEARS TO TWO & A HALF 6-9 Block tower Catches small ball Moves individual fingers Turns door knob Unscrews lid Two Year olds do not have perfect controlled release of their fingers.

9. THREE YEAR OLD Copies a circle Imitates a square Threads large beads Unbuttons large buttons/unzips Uses glue with supervision Cuts straight line Feeds self Build tower of 10 blocks Doesn’t have hand muscles developed enough to write name

11. FOUR YEAR OLDS Cuts out 2 to 3 inch shapes Copies square/triangle Makes marks to represent name Strings small beads Uses static tripod grasp Uses finger to act out simple songs Puts together simple puzzles

12. CathyLoyacano

13. FIVE YEAR OLDS Draw a person with facial features Builds steps with blocks Uses tools with little supervision Draws specific objects: may look different Write first name and few letters May have letter/number reversals and letters not in straight line Uses scissors to cut non paper materials

14. EFFICIENT GRIPS

15. COMMON HANDWRITING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FINE MOTOR WEAKNESSES • Child may have an awkward pencil grip. • Child may have difficulty coloring within lines, tracing, and forming letters. • Hand movements may appear awkward.

16. RED FLAGS Child: • Keeps arms very close to chest during hand activities • Keeps shoulders “hiked” near ears • Difficulty using two hands together for activities such as catching a ball rolled to them, rolling out playdough, using scissors, dressing activities • Gets tired easily: endurance is reduced for age • Complains of hand fatigue or pain consistently • Is frustrated with writing, cutting, etc. • Consistently avoids messiness. • Hand dominance set since early months

17. THINGS TO REMEMBER Look for activities that support: • SHAPING THE HANDS • USE OF THE INDEX FINGER • USE OF THE THUMB +2 • VERTICAL PLAY WITH THE HANDS: • wrist up • IN HAND MOVEMENT

18. SENSORY MAKES IT WORK • Tactile Perception: Touch • Proprioception: Pressure • Vestibular: Movement • Visual: Seeing

19. VISUAL PHYSICAL & PERCEPTUAL • Physical Visual: Gives us information concerning our movement and position. Must be integrated with proprioceptive information for reaching. • Perceptual Visual: Enables us to see details, spatial orientation of objects, visualize, similarities and differences.

20. DEVELOPMENT OF “SPATIAL TERMS”

21. COMMON PROBLEMS AND MODIFICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH VISUAL SPATIAL AWARENESS WEAKNESSES Child may have difficulty : • With puzzles/parquetry blocks which may lead to avoidance. • Drawing simple pictures: He may not “picture” how they look • Visualizing the shape/letter/number formations • Placing letters on or between the lines correctly at correct age • Spacing between words or letters (age appropriate) • Difficulty with reversals of letters and numbers after taught repeatedly and correctly (age appropriate) • Difficulty forming rounded letters: letters may be flat on the bottom if he is distracted by the printed lines • ALWAYS CONSIDER AGE APPROPRIATENESS !!!!

22. RED FLAGS Child who: • Consistently tilts head to one side • Covers one eye with hand or by laying head down on table • Does not follow people or objects with eyes • Avoids visual perceptual items such as puzzles, block patterns • Poor eye contact • Immature drawing abilities

23. THINGS TO REMEMBER • ENCOURAGE TRACKING THROUGH PLAY • EYE EXAM • BODY TO 3D TO 2D • UNCLUTTER AND UNLOAD • VISUALIZE • ART AND MATH

24. TACTILE SYSTEM * Touch Discriminatory: Ability to tell what an object is based on touch alone Protective: Ability to automatically withdraw or defend the body from harm. A balance is needed between the ability to discriminate something by touch and the protective response. For writing to become automatic, it needs to be felt through the sense of touch and sense of finger movement

25. PROPRIOCEPTION The proprioceptive system receptors are located primarily around and in our joints, and in our muscles and tendons. They tell us about: Movement of our body against itself Movement of our body in relationship to itself: body awareness

26. VESTIBULAR Influences Eye movement control Balance Muscle tone Postural control Bilateral coordination Motor planning Activities Infants: Gentle swinging, being carried, Johnny Jump Ups (feet flat on floor) Toddlers: Swinging, climbing, sliding Preschoolers: Playground activity, musical games WARNING: Vestibular very powerful

27. Sensory Processing: Red Flags • Sensory Avoider • Sensory Under Responder • Sensory Craver

28. THINGS TO REMEMBER • SENSORY ALERT • BIGGER IS BETTER • EYES CLOSED • MAKE IT AUTOMATIC

29. Web: lynaot.com Blog: lynslines.wordpress.com Phone: 281-438-0181 E Mail: lyn@lynaot.com Products: Alphabet Soup: Stirring Your Child’s Interest in Letters Alphabet Playing Cards Lyn Armstrong O.T.R.