writing practice?

[skewiff]

DS has v v mild cerebral palsy. Because of this he hasn't always gone through milestones naturally, so I've had to do lots of physio and had to fit lots of practicing of things into his day.

When he started reception, this year, I got into the habit of practising reading every day. I was worried he may have dyslexia as lots of children with hemiplegia do and so wanted to find out early.

OT in our borough then did a writing workshop for parents of children with SN and emphasised that writing was not taught in schools - children were just left to pick it up. The workshop stressed that by Year 1 it was really important that children should be able to write and so parents should make sure that their children were practising every day.

The workshop sent me into a mild panic, as DS is not into putting pen to paper in any shape or form.

Since then I have made it compulsory that he writes something every day. We used to write things on the bath with bath crayons. For a while he wrote on an old fashioned slate board a word a day. Now he writes on lined paper a word that he chooses about 3 times. We do this each morning before school.

DS is completely compliant with doing this. But I am aware that he would never choose to do it himself. I know of other children who come home from school and write for fun ...

I suppose I am just wondering whether I should listen to the OT - or whether I should wait for DS to do it of his own choosing. With reading, he chooses to practise. He really loves reading. I don't think he really loves writing and I wonder whether by making it daily practise/homework for him I might be putting him off.

Having said that, he is improving and I suppose by getting better at writing he will eventually have more confidence, which can of course affect enjoyment of an activity.

I think I agree with the OT - by Y1 he should be writing.

If his reading is coming on it makes a lot of sense to concentrate on writing.

by watching him write you might spot if it physically hurts him (which his teacher might miss)

Does he need a wobble cushion? Or a writing slope? Or pencil grips? Could take a lot of writing at home to find out what he needs......

(writing slopes are good for kids with vision problems)

I'm a Paediatric OT (and a mummy to a DS who's not particularly interested in pen/paper tasks!).

My advice FWIW would be to keep doing regular writing practice with your DS, but not make a huge issue out of it. I think, particularly with boys, if it becomes A. Big. Deal., they can back off completely. You could work on letter formation in other more 'fun' ways e.g. forming letters in other media - shaving foam/sand/gloop or in the air. You could look into some handwriting programmes e.g. Handwriting Without Tears (there's also an App for this - "Letter School"; choose the HWT letter font; gives lots of fun feedback and praise). Have the OTs check his core stability - if he can't stabilise his trunk efficiently he may have difficulty freeing his hand to move fluently (ie he may stiffen up his hand to give extra body stability which would result in jerky/angular handwriting).

I guess you also need to decide how important handwriting is for your DS. Does he want to be a calligraphist? Do you want him to be able to write all his own answers for exams? Would he/you be happy for him to have a scribe to record his work later on? Is being able to sign his name & write a couple of sentences enough? Would you be happy for him to use IT e.g. a personal laptop, to record his work? Lots of questions, but they will probably crop up at some stage (ok, maybe not the calligraphy one, but hope you see what I'm getting at!).

I hope this help you, even a little bit!

Thank you NMM and Indigo.

DS is less affected than perhaps I have suggested, by CP. He can, already, form all his letters and I think his core stability is good really. He is writing a word a day, three times in fairly smallish writing.

What I hope for him is that in the long term he will be able to write just as everyone else can. But in the short term (I am only looking as far as Yr 1) I am hoping that he'll be able to express himself through his writing so that its clear just how clever and imaginative he actually is.

I don't want him to be labelled as below average just because he has CP. And I'm concerned that if he can't write well that that might happen.

So you've helped me to come to the conclusion that I'll just carry on as I'm doing, but keep it as fun as possible.

Thank you.

I'm aghast at this 'OT in our borough then did a writing workshop for parents of children with SN and emphasised that writing was not taught in schools - children were just left to pick it up ' How does the OT know this? Has he/she not read the curriculum guidance for the Foundation Stage? Has he/she never seen pens or pencils in EY classrooms, or samples of children's work plastered to the walls?

I teach Year 1. Some children turn up not forming letters correctly still, but we work on writing every day, several times a day. In October we started learning how to join when writing and most of mine have lovely writing now. Ten of my 30 children arrived in Year 1 with fewer than the expected minimum of 78 points on FSP, but have made fantastic progress.

Of course teachers, both EY and Year 1, teach children to write. I'd like parents to practise at home too, and not teach their children to write only in capital letters, and make sure that letters like g and p sit where they should...but if they don't, the children will still learn how to write.

I'm with hh on this, of course we teach letter formation and writing in EYFS in a huge range of ways from pencils, chalks, drywipe pens and crayons to letter formation in foam and sand, tracing and interactive resources.
Talk to the school, to the class teacher and they will have a much better range of methods and ideas for helping your child.
TBH, the minute the OP came out with 'writing was not taught in schools ' I would have viewed the rest of what she was babbling on about with great suspicion.

I think there are schools/teachers who don't teach children to form letters but I hope they are in the minority. I think there are many more who regard good handwriting as unimportant. However in my experience as a teacher and SENCO it is often OTs who tell us certain children will need to learn to use other methods because they will never learn to write effectively ... it's also my experience that these children can and do learn.

So mrz - should I listen to the OT and carry on practising at home, do you think?

FallenC it is not ME that is saying 'writing is not taught in schools' its our OT who ran the workshop. And what is there in my post to be suspicious about ??

I think the OT meant that children often pick up bad habits and a class teacher is often too busy to correct these habits. The workshop was specifically for parents of children with special needs such as cerebral palsy and autism and dyspraxia etc These children will have fine motor skills issues - we were all invited along, it wasn't free just for anyone to come along. All of the parents there had children with fine motor issues. I think the OT was implying that a class teacher would not have time to identify and/or deal with these children's specific problems.

Sorry FallenCaryatid - I am guessing you meant to write OT instead of OP ...

In my dc school there is a big emphasis placed on writing in year 1. They learn to join up the words and spend a lot of time practicing forming letters etc. both on white boards and on paper and they're encouraged to write things on the outside floor with chalk (although I don't think the teacher was too impressed when one wrote "Year 2s go away" in chalk!")

A child who was struggling would definitely be pulled out and given extra help by the end of the winter term. I know those it's happened to.

I was surprised to find that they were doing this in year 1, as we weren't bothered with handwriting until year 3, but I have found round here that year 1 is the standard time.

'Sorry FallenCaryatid - I am guessing you meant to write OT instead of OP ...'

Well spotted, of course I did and I apologise. No babbling in your post at all, but the OT was lying misinforming you.

yes skewiff I would continue helping your son to improve his handwriting if this is something he finds difficult. Personally I find Write From the Start and effective programme (it costs £22 for the books and then you need to photocopy so this might not be an option for everyone).

there are lots of useful activities here free.
www.northumberlandcaretrust.nhs.uk/services/services-files/community-health-service-files/childrens-occupational-therapy/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Handwriting.pdf

I think that while all teachers try and teach all kids to write, of course they don't have the specialist knowledge an OT does.

It is very probable that DSs teacher will have never taught a child with CP to write before, and may not understand why he struggles (ie what exactly is the physical problem that hinders handwriting) or know what to do.

It is very likely if he struggle he will be put on a standard intervention (like mrz mentioned) that may or may not be appropriate for him.

That is certainly my experience with 2 DSs. 3 schools were not interested in finding out what the problem was and addressing that. All they wanted to do was put them on the standard handwriting intervention.

They didn't actually care if the intervention worked or not - because they didn't know what else to do.

They were very happy for DS1 to use a computer - because that was easier for them then teaching him to write.

I strongly suspect that is what will happen to your DS if he continues to struggle. They'll give him ineffective help for a few years, then say he can use a computer.

IMHE most children with CP have an OT and Physio who come into school to work with the child and staff.

I should also add in my experience it is often the OT who suggests the school provide a laptop and teach them to type

IMHE most OT's send us a sheet with suggestions on and never come into school. The sheet contains a load of stuff we are already doing. One child is having four clinic sessions and then will be discharged and must be re-referred if it is considered necessary. We just got a sheet of handwriting suggestions for him too.

I agree OT recommendations are always things we do already or have done in the past but sometimes it's nice to be reassured you are doing the right thing.

Ok, so the school may or may not get help from an OT, and the school (and each teacher in the school) may or may not be good at teaching handwriting to students with difficulties.

The things to remember are:

• you probably care far more about your DSs handwriting then school ever will.
• you have a long term view that the school doesn't.
• every teacher can tell you 'don't worry, it'll come later'
• handwriting is only worth 3 marks out of 100 in the KS2 sats (which determines how much some schools care about handwriting)

I've certainly been disappointed with how handwriting has been taught to my 3. If I could go back, I'd work on handwriting at home from Year 1.

We start in reception

I think what you are doing is great, OP, I would carry on as you are.
I have a DS who is a reluctant writer and little & often is best way with him.

Indigo: what would you have liked to have practised with your dcs - if you could go back?

I am trying to get DS to hold the pen in a tripod grip (he does this, but his thumb often slips far too much over the pen).

At first DS could not rest his hand on the paper at all and sort of wavered it around in the air. But we've cracked that now.

Now I'm trying to get DS to write on a line and show him where all the letters sit and kind of get him to get them a similiar size. Although I'm not sure how exactly to achieve this.

I have bought write from the start Mrz - but DS's school start off with print and I felt as though write from the start was for joined up writing.

DS really struggles to keep the paper from moving about as his left hand is not able to hold it still. So I'll have to contact the OT about this.

Our OT service is dire - just one OT for a hugely over populated London borough - so we don't get OT visits to schools - just pieces of paper - unfortunately.

Lots of year one boys don't chose to write. You may be waiting a long time. If its important to you that he write, carry on making writing a "must do" short block of time every day.

I insist DS does some writing each day in the hols, otherwise he would do none. DS is approaching the end of Y1, he avoids writing in school if he can, or does the bare minimum required. We push him for 3 sentences / about 5 lines a day. Sometimes its a diary entry, sometimes a book "review" or writing out "rules" for a game he has invented, or maybe a postcard to granny. We are working hard on him writing with out adult support currently, so he has to complete the task before he can ask for spellings . But DH still finds himself doing a lot of guidance before writing on "what to write". DS would prefer to copy, DS is rather lazy. His spelling is dreadful, but phonetic.

I think there is a huge difference between not choosing to write and what the OP describes. Personally I would be putting most effort into finding out why he struggles to keep the paper still. Lots of strengthening exercised and patterns to develop the correct formation. Book 1 of Write from the Start contains patterns don't be tempted to jump to letters in b2 until he has some control. As long as his grip is efficient and comfortable then its fine. A tripod grip is most efficient but not the only way. If writing hurts then begin to correct it.

Write from the start is good, and if you've bought it you might as well use it. It's not about cursive or printing, it's about mark making and visual perception.

Part of what you're describing (sizing letters and getting them to sit on the line) could well be down to visual perception problems - which is what write from the start helps with.

But you're also describing physical problems which you need OT to help with. The other writing scheme to lok at is 'speed up' which is written by an OT and contains exercises to strengthen his hands and shoulders and some other really cool stuff.

For now, I think you should do both of those program's. 10 minutes every day. And you could do them instead of writing practice for now.

When you've finished both those program's, in a few months, then you'll be in a better position to work out why he can't write.

If you google 'precision teaching handwriting' you'll find an interesting article about correcting pencil grip. It says something like:

• lay the pencil on the paper
• pick it up and draw a line
• lie the pencil down again
• count how many times the child can do this in a minute
• challenge him to do it faster.

He reckons the only way to draw 30(?) lines in a minute is with the correct grip.

Other things to remember is to work on handwriting seperate from everything else (spelling, content etc) until his handwriting is much more comfortable.

I've never really managed to get precision teaching to work, but lots of people swear by it. Print off loads of identical handwriting sheets, then each day challenge him to complete more of the sheet in one minute then he did the day before.

My reading says you should learn to write by lots and lots of copying over letters on handwriting sheets.

But I really think there are lots of physical issues here and you would be best off with help from a private OT. If you finish both speed up and write from the start and don't see an improvement - then I think you're going to need a private OT.

The OTs we work with say not to use Speed Up with children younger than 7-8 and have recently recommended another prog. Unfortuneately details are at school.
Does he used lines at school when writing?
It's a prob so many teachers use plain paper initially.

Sorry. Mrz is right. DS2 was 7 when his OT recommended speed up.

There's also 'write dance' - mrz, do you know anything about it?