More tips for dysgraphia
Dysgraphia has many different components, and it takes a comprehensive approach to put all the pieces together to enable a student the ability to write.
After motor skills and perceptual skills are in place, it’s important for the student to have the ability to write. This includes a proper pencil grip. Most kids with dysgraphia retain an improper pencil grip. This slows them down, as it is cumbersome. In addition, what makes it worse is that these same kids are now in the habit of holding a pencil in the wrong way. Just try teaching them the proper pencil grip, and you’ll be met with resistance!
Following are some tips to help your child retain a proper pencil grip.
* Use a pencil gripper. My favorite are the ones that are three-pronged and the child’s fingers fit naturally in the grip.
* Use fat pencils to start with. This is easier for the student to wrap his/her fingers around the pencil in a proper manner.
* Go to a sporting goods store and find hand exercisers. These will help strengthen the muscles in the hand that encourage proper pencil grip.
* Make it a game. For every time your child uses the proper pencil grip, he/she gets a point. Five points equal a reward of some kind.
* Refrain from nagging. That only frustrates the student.
* Explain the reasoning behind the proper pencil grip. These kids are smart and often just need a reason to make necessary changes.
* Practice “pinching” with the thumb and index finger. After “pinching” has been mastered, practice picking up objects with the “pinching” method. Transition to a pencil.
Whatever you do, don’t allow your child or student to maintain an improper pencil grip. This will only hold him/her back in the journey to write well.
Happy writing,
Lisa