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HANDWRITING ! LET'S GET READY!. COMPONENTS OF HANDWRITING. COGNITIVE AUDITORY AND LANGUAGE SENSORY MOTOR VISUAL TACTILE/KINESTHETIC VESTIBULAR GROSS MOTOR FINE MOTOR MISCELLANEOUS. Prior to Two. Critical time period for laying motor, perceptual, and sensory motor foundations!.
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COMPONENTS OF HANDWRITING • COGNITIVE • AUDITORY AND LANGUAGE • SENSORY MOTOR • VISUAL • TACTILE/KINESTHETIC • VESTIBULAR • GROSS MOTOR • FINE MOTOR • MISCELLANEOUS
Prior to Two • Critical time period for laying motor, perceptual, and sensory motor foundations!
Two and Two and a half years: • Makes a circle after a parent makes one first but child may still scribble the circle • Scribbled lines cross over each other Three years: • Copies a vertical line from a picture • Well defined horizontal line • Makes a crude cross after watching someone else draw one (imitation) • Copies a drawing of a circle • Uses either hand for writing (Beery: Stepping Stones Age Norms 2004)
Four years: • Colors in one direction • Places blocks diagonally when building • Copies a cross and square (corners rounded at 4.6 years) • Draws crude man with three body parts • Prints letters randomly on page • Letters may be in parts (Beery: Stepping Stones Age Norms 2004)
Five years: • Copies triangle from a picture • Draws a recognizable man with torso • Coloring within the lines easier • Crudely prints name from memory, letters may be large or reversed • Attempts to draw recognizable animals, trees, building, houses • Prints several capital letters from memory Five and a half years: • Writes from right to left at times • Clearly prints first name from memory • Established hand for writing • (Beery: Stepping Stones Age Norms 2004)
Remember! • Children learn differently and at their own pace. • Work at a child’s developmental level not age level. • Create a solid foundation. Watch out for splinter skills! • Use a child’s strengths to pull up their weaknesses. • Handwriting must be taught. • Consistency and developmentally appropriate!
Hints for Print PPrepare to write Posture (child + furniture) Pencil grip Paper RRemember the alphabet Know letter names Visualize I Insure correct letter formations N No negatives T Think BIG! Movements Fun
Gross Motor Principals Stability before Mobility Body: Tone*, Strength, and Balance Sensory supports Motor Prone
Writing Posture • 2 year old: scrunches shoulders, no neck, stabilizes object in hand against body. Overflow in other hand • 3 year old: shoulder on helper side is relaxing. Shoulder with writing hand still up but beginning to relax. Elbow raised up on writing side. Helper hand holds paper • 4 year old: shoulders are down • 5 year old: Body is relaxed and elbow is down
What to Do? • Build good posture through: • Strengthening body: floor play, playground play • Balance: Music and movement, floor play and playground play • Prone:Playing on stomach propped on forearms
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS-SENSORY MOTOR* Body’s ability to use both sides (right and left) together efficiently It influences: • Hand dominance • Ability to cross the body’s midline • Ability to draw diagonals • Ability to drawing horizontal lines smoothly • Directionality (right, left, etc.) • Skills: hopping on one foot, body rotation
What to Do? • Younger: riding on hip both sides, getting on and off riding toys • Floor Play: getting into and out of sitting, playing on stomach and forearms • Body movements to music • Chalkboard play: drawing and scribbling
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS-SENSORY MOTOR* • Dyspraxia/Motor Planning • Ability to think of the steps of a motor movement • Ability to sequence the steps of a motor movement • Ability to execute the sequence of steps of a motor movement
What to Do? • Obstacle courses + everything motor • Verbal instructions + demonstrations • Practice first and REPEAT a lot • Lots of controlled sensory
COMMON HANDWRITING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH GROSS MOTOR WEAKNESSES • Poor posture: Child may: Keep face close to paper Lay on the table/desk Support body weight by resting head in his hands • Poor balance: Child may: Sit on his feet Lie on his table/desk Insist on standing up rather than sitting Fall out of his chair frequently • Poor use of the two sides of the body together: Child may: Have difficulty drawing diagonals (age appropriate) Late establishment of hand dominance(age appropriate) Difficulty using opposite hand Difficulty with loop letters in cursive
COMMON HANDWRITING PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH GROSS MOTOR WEAKNESSES • Poor motor planning abilities: Child may: Not position paper correctly Have trouble learning letter/shapes Be slow at motor processing of letter formations • Poor muscle tone or strength: Child may have: Poor posture Poor balance Poor development of motor skills ALWAYS CHECK SIZE OF THE DESK AND CHAIR BEFORE ASSUMMING IT IS A BALANCE PROBLEM!
RED FLAGS Child who consistently: • Bumps into furniture or people (body awareness) • Trips over objects or falls frequently from his chair (balance) • Needs to hold onto furniture or people to rise from the floor (strength and tone) • Insists on standing for all activities • Wraps his legs around the chair legs (balance) • Always sits on his legs in the chair (balance)
RED FLAGS Child who consistently: • Cannot sit “criss cross” applesauce • Hips need to be checked • Refuses to play or lie on stomach even after special positioning. • Behind in his development • Frustrated in motor class • Is last to get in line or to participate in motor class • Tires easily: endurance is reduced for age