Tips for Developing Handwriting Skills
Published on in Trisomy 21 Update
Published on in Trisomy 21 Update
A common concern that parents frequently voice when coming in for an occupational therapy evaluation within the Trisomy 21 Program is their child’s ability to be successful with handwriting, and to progress their skills within the school environment.
What is unique and potentially a challenge for children with Down syndrome is their low tone and how it impacts their ability to hold a writing implement and complete handwriting skills.
For all children — and especially ones with Down syndrome — we want to make sure we are providing core strength and stability in the center of their body (proximal stability) in order to have improved dexterity with their hands (distal mobility).
It is very important to develop both the core muscles — back and abdominals — as well as the intrinsic muscles of the hand. These are the muscles that do not cross the wrist joint and allow us to manipulate and turn objects, appropriately hold a pencil and complete handwriting skills. These two skills work in tandem to help your child successfully hold a pencil or pen, as well as support their body and provide the endurance they need to complete these skills throughout the school day.
Both core strength and intrinsic strength can be worked on separately. As your child’s core strength improves, they will have more support to complete hand manipulation skills and writing skills.
Below is a list of activities that will help develop handwriting skills by improving strength, endurance and dexterity. Some of the activities listed below focus on core strength, while others target more intrinsic hand strength. Feel free to be creative and take components of these tasks and try some new ones as well.
Your child should practice a few of these skills every day. I encourage you to incorporate some of these into your daily routine. This way both you and your child will be engaged and motivated to continue practicing these skills.
One tip to keep in mind: When your child is doing activities that involve the holding or pinching of an object, their hand should be positioned so the thumb is facing the fingertips to form a C-shape. This position is very important for thumb stability and to learn the proper way to hold a pencil.
Most of all, have fun with these activities. The more fun you and your child are having together, the more they are going to want to participate and the longer the games will last. By building strength and endurance, you’ll be supporting your child’s handwriting skills!
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Categories: Occupational Therapy, Trisomy 21