Category Archives: Handwriting

Access comprehensive handwriting improvement strategies that include tools, games, guided programs, and expert tips to enhance letter formation, spacing, writing fluency, and legibility for learners of all ages and abilities.

Get A Grip on Pencil Grips and Adapted Writing Tools!

Handwriting, Therapist Resources, , , ,

Therapro is making it simpler for users to choose the right pencil grips and adapted writing tools.  After reviewing all of the pencil grips and modified writing tools available at Therapro, we concluded  that there are basically three groups that these tools fall into; comfort, positioning, and sensory.  

Comfort.  Comfort is an important feature for writers across the lifespan. These types of grips and writing tools are great for writers who fatigue during longer writing tasks or who have underlying conditions that cause pain, like arthritis. The Evo Pen was specifically designed for people with arthritis to support the joints while writing and the PenAgain was designed to help reduce hand cramping during writing. The Standard Foam Grip and the Bulb Shaped Grip are basic, low profile grips that can be added to a pencil or pen to provide a softer surface for the fingers.  These grips and writing tools may help a writer perform writing tasks longer.

Positioning.  Appropriate pencil grasp is the key for successful, legible handwriting.  Atypical grasp patterns can lead to decreased comfort and endurance for writing tasks. When to use a pencil grip or modified writing tool often prompts debate.  

Young writers often benefit from developing the foundational skills needed for successful handwriting before a grip is used. These writers benefit from activities that assist in developing foundational postural musculature and hand skills. Working with putty, incorporating yoga, doing activities on the therapy ball,  or incorporating activities like those found in the Fine Motor Olympics or Fingermania are all great ways to target underlying foundational skills needed for functional hand use. During this stage it is also important to incorporate writing “tools” such as short pencils or crayon rocks that naturally support functional grasp patterns.

Pencils grips for positioning come into play primarily when 1.) the student is still working on developing underlying foundational systems and they need to keep up with peers or  2.) when the student benefits from the tactile cues provided by these grips or writing tools to maintain a proper pencil grip.  There is a wide range of grips and writing instruments available allowing for grading of the support provided. 

Writers who are just learning to get their fingers into a tripod grasp benefit from a grip that provides more support.  Therapro suggests the following:

  • The Grotto Grip has contours that place the fingers in a tripod grasp and promote an open webspace, this type of grip is also great for writers with hypermobility in their finger joints.  
  • Grips like the Writing Claw, the Pointer Grip, The Crossover Grip  or StartWrite Pencil Grip have features that  block fingers from “crossing over” or reverting to immature grasp patterns.   
  • A grip like the WriteRight Pencil Grip is helpful when there is poor development of the separation of the two sides of the hand; the “tail” provides a place to wrap the last two fingers and is a great tactile reminder to “tuck those fingers away”.  

Writers who need less support may benefit from grips that are “low profile”.   Grips like the Solo Grip, EZ Grip, and the Stetro Grip are smaller in size than some of the other grips in this category. They  provide light tactile cues to remind the writer where to place their fingers but do not actively block the fingers from moving out of a tripod pattern. 

As the writer’s abilities progress they may be ready to move away from using a grip but may not be quite ready for a standard pencil. This is where triangular shaped pencils like the Ticonderoga,  Tri- Write Laddie Pencil,  or Try Rex Pencils come in. The triangular shape offers a subtle tactile reminder for proper placement of the fingers.   

Sensory. The final category of pencil grips and writing instruments is sensory.   To simplify this, the sensory category can be viewed as two ends of the sensory spectrum; alerting or calming/organizing.  

Light touch sensations are interpreted by our sensory systems as alerting, think about a spider crawling over your arm!  The grips and writing tools in the alerting category provide light touch sensations to  help writers “wake up” their sensory systems.  This type of input can improve the ability to attend and focus.  Great options for this are:

  • The Spike Tactile Grip.  The Spike Tactile Grip is covered in spiky protrusions that provide opportunities for light touch sensations, as a bonus these protrusions can be used as a “fidget” to help with attention and focus during writing tasks. 
  • Squiggle Wiggle Writer Pen.  The Squiggle Wiggle Writer Pen vibrates; this is often used as a preparatory activity prior to writing to “wake up” the hand.  
  • Grips like the Bumpy Grip, The  Extreme Grip, and the Groovy Grip offer slightly more subtle raised tactile features but  still provide great sensory input to help maintain attention and focus during writing.  
Squiggle Wiggle adapted Writing tool
SPIKE Tactile Pencil Grip

Some writers have poorly organized sensory systems; these writers benefit from organizing input and input that provides clues about where the writer’s body parts are. Sometimes these writers use too much force when they are writing or they have a hard time writing on the given baseline.  Adding weight to writing tools is a great way to help these systems become more organized, try the following:

A bonus tip, adding weight to writing tools may help those with hand tremors! 

In summary, understanding both the needs of the user and  the type of support and the level of support grips and writing tools offer is a great starting point for determining the most appropriate grip or writing tool to choose.  Starting with the least restrictive option is a great way to ensure the writer is getting the support they need without overdoing it.  Conversely, using a grip or writing tool that provides a lot of support may be appropriate for the student who is working on developing foundational skills to ensure a positive writing experience.  For therapists, this grading system is a great way to show progress as students move from a more restrictive tool to one that offers less support.   The information contained in this post is condensed in the The Get A Grip on Pencil Grips and Which Writing Tools or Accessories Handy Guides.  We hope these handy reference guides help you quickly identify the tool that will best fit your needs! 

Recap of Handwriting Without Tears: Strategies for Success

Events & Conferences, Handwriting

Susan Little, OTR/L provided a fabulous seminar as part of Therapro’s Saturday Seminar Series on November 10th entitled: Handwriting Without Tears: Strategies for Success. She gave attendees a close look at a developmentally based curriculum for students from Pre-K through 5th grade and beyond, that uses a multisensory, fun approach to teaching skills for both printing and cursive. It includes three programs: Pre-K Early Learning, Handwriting Without Tears, and Keyboarding Without Tears (digital program). The program keeps expanding with additional products and trainings. The Pre-K program and elementary grade level programs include workbooks, journals, and Teacher’s Guides. Multisensory materials offer kinesthetic learning experiences for printing and cursive letter formation.

Susan is an experienced occupational therapist who has provided services to children aged birth through 21 years old in a variety of settings including school systems, early intervention, inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation, and neonatal intensive care units. As a certified handwriting specialist, she has worked extensively with children on penmanship instruction and remediation. She was first introduced to Handwriting Without Tears (HWT) as an OT student and found it to be a unique and targeted approach that meets the diverse learning styles of all students. Susan began working for Learning Without Tears in 2003 and now serves as Channel Sales Manager for the company. Her passion for educating others on the benefits of using the Learning Without Tears programs was evident in her presentation today.

The handwriting process was described in sequential stages beginning with pre-writing and finally handwriting. Susan identified the stages as follows: controlled scribbles; discrete lines, dots, or symbols; straight-line or circular letters; uppercase letters; lowercase letters. She focused primarily on early stages of handwriting, but also touched on the development of cursive and keyboarding skills using multi-sensory learning experiences.

The Print Tool is a comprehensive evaluation for students from kindergarten through grade 5 that includes student and school information, a review of school papers, and careful observation of the child’s physical approach and fine motor skills. Administered individually, the Print Tool evaluates uppercase letters, numbers, lowercase letters, and seven specific handwriting components: memory, orientation, placement, size, start, sequence, and word spacing.

A preschool student who is exposed to the Pre-K Learning program learns the readiness skills for handwriting (includes both letters and numbers). It consists of three components: 1.) Language and Literacy; 2.) Readiness and Writing; and 3). Numbers and Math. Susan identified some common struggles that occur at this level such as letter and number memory difficulties that might manifest themselves as omitting a letter, interchanging upper and lower case letters, or spelling phonetically. Another struggle a child at this early level may exhibit are letter and number formation problems including letter reversals, spacing, and sizing issues. Pencil grip is another area she discussed that may require simple modifications of posture or paper placement to build success. A fun fact Susan offered is that 50% of all 3 year olds have the ability to grasp a crayon correctly. LWT uses this fact by utilizing very small tools like pieces of chalk or Flip Crayons to facilitate development of the intrinsic muscles of the hands. Susan demonstrated a number of strategies and sequential activities to engage students as they transition to letter formation. The use of songs can help develop the motor plan for pencil/crayon use. Here’s an example:

Pencil Song
Pick up a pencil, Pick up a pencil
This is easy to do
Pick up a pencil, Pick up a Pencil,
I just tell my fingers what to do
My thumb is bent,
Pointer points to the tip, Tall man uses his side
I tuck my last two fingers in
And take them for a ride.

Now I’m holding it just right,
But not too tight,
Every finger knows what to do
And now I have a big surprise,
A big surprise for you
Let’s drop it and do it again!

Susan demonstrated a number of products that can be used in a variety of creative ways, including Capital Letter Kit to form letters in the correct order and position through teacher-directed play. It includes wood pieces and laminated cards that show the image of a letter on one side and activities on the flip side to help teach letter awareness and same/different discrimination. Roll-A-Dough Letters is a great companion to the HWT curriculum because it includes a multi-sensory tray that can be used to make letters in sand or shaving cream. Laminated letter and number cards and 12 oz. of modeling dough are included. The child learns the skills of size discrimination and visual integration. The Stamp and See Screen is a magnetic screen in a sturdy plastic frame. It includes 4 plastic magnetic letters to allow a child to stamp upper case letters. A tool that resembles chalk is used to trace or write letters. It can be used over and over because the slide eraser clears the board in one sweep. Blackboard with Double Lines helps teach placement on lines and spacing for uppercase and lowercase letters, and numbers. With repetition, a motor plan develops.

Handwriting Without Tears aims to maximize writing success for all students! This resource is fun and engages students as soon as it is introduced by providing the building blocks that are essential for handwriting in sequential steps. It is a rich program that takes into consideration the many components of learning handwriting skills throughout the school years and uses creative, engaging sensory activities.

Attendees had rave reviews about Susan’s seminar:

“As an OT student, I walked in with a limited knowledge of the topic. Walking out, I feel much more comfortable teaching handwriting skills and I am confident in the additional resources that were presented to me.” – Elizabeth W., OT Grad Student

“After 40 years of practicing OT, I wanted to be aware of other options I will try.” – Anonymous, Occupational Therapist

“I would recommend this seminar to a colleague because it provides the participant with the importance of the development of underlying components. Handwriting Without Tears is fun and brings back the joy of learning. It allows children to marinate in the learning process!” – Tara G., Occupational Therapist

“Lots of valuable information. Easy for students and teachers.” – Jenna R., Teacher

“I am an OTS and I believe this should be a required seminar. It was very informative and I feel as if I have a great resource to go to once I am an OTR.” – Tabitha C., OT Grad Student

Thank you, Susan!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
November 10, 2018

Getting it Write: Wrist Extension in Handwriting

Handwriting, Therapist Resources, , , , ,

gettingitwriteHere at Therapro we have a BIG focus on handwriting – from Programs, to Practice Worksheets, to Grips and Tools for maintaining proper positioning. Since positioning is the foundation for good handwriting, we recommend emphasizing these skills right from the beginning.

The best position for handwriting is with the wrist in extension. This extension provides the support necessary to get the hand into a tripod position to hold the pencil.

We’ve noticed two trends recently that can hinder proper handwriting development:

  • Children have been learning to write, and using pencils much earlier
  • Children have a tendency to “hunch” their shoulders due to poor muscle tone
  • People don’t put babies on their stomachs anymore, meaning they don’t learn to push up – leading to weaker arm and shoulder muscles

The reason these can be an issue is because they’re using the wrong muscles of the hand – what happens is they get a “death grip” on the pencil from holding it wrong, and keeping the wrist in the wrong position.

If babies don’t gain arm and shoulder strength, this can manifest itself when first grade teachers introduce handwriting. Low muscle tone leads to poor posture and grip, which become evident when the child first learns writing skills.

The way to get out of these bad habits is to put the wrist into extension. Since you don’t want them writing all over your walls (we don’t, at least!), the solution is a slanted surface. Having an incline of at least 20 degrees is the ideal angle for wrist extension and proper handwriting technique. Getting the writing surface more toward vertical will straighten the wrist and provide the support needed to hold a pencil correctly.

Our Write Slant Boards were first developed for the adult market, but are great to use with kids, and in the classroom. The slant board not only puts the wrist in extension, but it is also good for vision, visual tracking, and strengthening posture.

In the same vein as our Write Slant Boards is the Preschool Board, which not only is excellent for learning handwriting, but is also a versatile desktop tool. The idea was developed by an Occupational Therapist. It can be converted from a 30 degree angle for handwriting, to a 60 degree angle to be used as an art easel. The Preschool Board also comes with built-in storage for all of your writing and art supplies!