1st grader with handwriting frustration - what to do?

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That's where today's technology just isn't there. Most word processing software doesn't support math symbols very well. Microsoft Word 2007 and newer versions allow you to insert an equation. Older versions don't support any math beyond basic algebra; when you try to do it anyway, it's horrendously frustrating. (Anyone remember trying to do bulleted or numbered lists in Word 97?) Genuine math software, like Mathematica, is prohibitively expensive. And the programming language MathML is difficult to learn and doesn't yet have widespread use, because the correlation between source code and final output isn't intuitive. (Imagine writing out a series, the expression with the sigma sign, in HTML-like source code.) But your son might still enjoy learning MathML. Read more about here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MathML.

Having said that, I still say you should have your son learn to hand-write mathematical expressions. Math is over 3,000 years old; personal computers are less than 50 years old. A neatly written math expression just can't be reproduced on most computers, at least not without using very expensive software.

Some have used this program with success, but I agree with keyboarding. Though sometimes you still need to be able to write.

http://www.hwtears.com/hwt

Thanks everyone for the helpful advice - I hadn't really thought about those longer-term issues with math. I guess we'll keep going with the handwriting during school but maybe start to introduce some typing for his homework. Also, we're in the process of switching OTs, so it sounds like we should try to get the new OT to help pinpoint the source of his problems.

BJT

We did handwriting without tears for 2 years-also worked on grip with OT for a long time. Even with all of that, my daughter's writing troubles didn't get fairly better until 3rd grade and even now in 5th grade she has trouble writing anything longer than a paragraph and her handwriting is still bad (large and with poor spacing). She also still wraps her thumb around pencil. Her problem has always been hand strength and fine motor planning-she also has co-morbid of developmental coordination disorder. I say all this because I think you can't really expect it to improve for a few more years, even though most of the NT kids penmanship gets pretty good around 1st grade. I remember in 1st grade seeing writing that was posted in the hallways by all the students and being very alarmed at how "different" my daughter's writing was than all her peers. In time though, these things become very small worries, if at all.

Yes. M daughters hand writing is horrid and she is afraid to even set pen to paper now because she can see that the other kids have handwriting that is just fine. I also struggled, but didn't really have horrible issues till we learned cursive. My hand writing is only leigble now if I go VERY VERY slowly. OTherwise, only I can read it.

It can get better with a lot of work, but it will only ever be so so at best. I think it's really important for note taking in college to have some sort of penmanship. Honestly a ketyboard will only get you so far, often you need to draw a diagram or jot down an equation or chemical structure, hard to do on a kayboard.

We just recently started using some different pencils with my kids (my oldest was diagnosed with Aspergers, waiting on a diagnosis for my younger son, we suspect he has dyslexia or something else similar). Ticonderoga has My First Tri-Write pencils, which are triangular and a bit fatter, which have worked pretty well for my guys, and the Handwriting Without Tears App and Pencils for Little Hands. If you decide to order the HWT pencils, make sure you go through the actual HWT website, as other resellers have the pencils marked up at least 50%. We got a box of 144 pencils, and they truly have been helping in the three weeks we've been using them. Best of luck!

Now that you mention it I personally recall having to use jumbo pencils and grip modifiers till like fifth grade. I had forgotten this. I'm going to order these for my daughter and see if it helps, now a days they jump right to real pencils in kindergarten here.

There are all kinds of pencils and grips out there. They tried all different kinds with me back in the 80s but let it go as my writing was legible. I had horrible pains in my hand but loved writing so much that it didn't matter.

The thing that made the difference from unreadable chickenscratch to legible, if very small, writing for me was the way I held the pencil. To this day, I cannot use a correct tripod grip. I have to lay the pen/pencil over my ring finger and contort my hand around it. They tell me it's painful to watch...

...but it gets the job done.

I know you child is 1st not kinder, but lots of ideas on this page. A friend of mine had great luck with the sock in the bottom right hand corner - They call him sock-o

http://www.pinterest.com/jenpiel/kinder-handwriting/

Handwriting was never a major issue for me in school, but I have had different people over the years tell me that my writing is pretty bad (I remember my 4th grade teacher in particular had a hard time with my writing). I can write decently for a few sentences if I go slow, but my handwriting gets worse and worse the more or faster I have to write.

I agree with the people who say you should try out all different kinds of grips and pencils for your son. Try thicker ones, thinner ones, ones with different textures, until he finds what is most comfortable for his hand and what is easiest for him to maneuver. I also recommend that you let him try out some different kind of pens. I'm not sure why, but I've always found pens easier to write with than pencils, possibly because there is less sticking/friction (markers might be another option). The only downside to that is the fact that you can't erase ink, and if he's a perfectionist, it might be more distressing to him. The school may also not be willing to let him use pens at such an early grade.

I also think you should start teaching him to type, but don't push for him to be allowed to type his school work just yet. I'm actually a bit surprised that the school hasn't started teaching typing in computer lab classes. Maybe my elementary school was ahead of the times, but we started learning to type as soon as we were able to identify our letters and read simple sight words. I remember being frustrated by the program (it was very repetitive), but it was good because most of us were excellent at touch-typing by the time we went on to middle school. And middle school is usually when students are first encouraged to begin typing their work, so it's a good skill to have by then.

There is a lot of pressure to start keyboarding early, but there is evidence that there is no benefit for most kids to starting any time before 4th grade. Most children are not developmentally ready until somewhere between 4th and 6th grade. My son's OT was, apparently, testing him through out that period until at the start of 6th she said, "he's ready."

Basically, they know it is a waste of classroom time in the first, second, or third grades, and so they don't do it. Unless they don't know the studies or feel forced by parents. Plus, starting too early inadvertently encourages some children to develop really bad keyboarding habits, that will be difficult to reverse later. Most children will pick it up much faster later and still be proficient by the same age.

There are always exceptions and there is no harm in a parent exploring it at home to see if their child is one of those exceptions, but engaging the full class just doesn't make sense.

This was discussed in our elementary school PTA so many times I can't even tell you.

Has his OT checked for retained primitive reflexes?

You can probably check them on your own also.

I found out my 6 year old AS son has a retained grasp reflex in both hands (his writing hand is stronger though). So anytime a pencil or other fingers even brush up against his palm, his hand grasps tightly. He releases it quickly (under conscious control), but it makes writing extremely difficult. Not impossible, and he still writes in school. There are exercises that can help this go away gradually.

I am going to chime with the fact that if your kid is on the computer a lot like mine is, it is easy to develop bad keyboarding habits, regardless. My son is homeschooled 3rd grade, and we are doing very basic easy keyboarding just so he can see how it is supposed to go before he sets his bad habits (imitating mommy's hunt and peck) into stone and b/c they already started it last year.

Our case is unusual in that my son has extreme rigidity. We had a heck of a time getting him off the fist grip he had when he started drawing with crayons at one. We had other issues, sure, but some of it was rigidity and habit. I just got him off the fist grip this summer. So In our case, I just want him to know what we will be aiming for, so he doesn't resist it when he needs it. They start real early (2nd grade) here, b/c they probably are not up on the research.

My son is also 6. I have had issues with my son and his school on this one, too. It doesn't help that I'm American and he's going to British schools where they start school sort of two years earlier. My son was really not ready for school, but that's the way it is. The teachers would try to make me sit with him erasing his lettering work until it was perfect. At age 4. I said "No way, not doing it. Can't imagine anything more awful for him or me."

They then asked him to go to handwriting club. Which I agreed to although I couldn't imagine anything more dull. But he seems to enjoy it. I don't know what they do there (apparently the first rule of handwriting club is....) I also got him a 'science notebook' so he can write and draw about stuff he likes. And I probably should encourage him to draw pictures at home a lot more.

I had terrible handwriting in 2nd grade and was humiliated by a teacher (also in a worksheet factory setting). It wasn't helpful. You know what, my handwriting got better. At one point I had beautiful handwriting and still can if think about it. I even started doing calligraphy.

Help your kid at home by encouraging pleasant pencil and paper work, but stand firm to the handwriting fascists at school.