In this digital world, good handwriting still matters. There are many areas in life, where we still need to write on paper for various purposes. Having poor handwriting skills can not only put you in trouble in the near future but also in mere embarrassment. Parents often find their children have poor handwriting and they believe this will improve with time while their kids grow up. In a few cases, kids may improve their handwriting skills with continuous guidance from teachers or parents. However, for many kids, the condition does not improve.
If parents do not take the right step to help children at this tender or growing age, their children may suffer in their academics or even a career in later life.
Today we will discuss the reasons that may cause poor handwriting, the solution to improve handwriting as well as where to find help.
First, Let’s Discover The Reasons Behind Bad Handwriting
Learning to write by hand can be a challenging task for many children. There are numerous ways to make letters, and every teacher has their own approach to teaching handwriting. However, it is unfortunate that most education programs do not include training in teaching handwriting. As a result, many primary school teachers feel ill-equipped to teach handwriting to their students, leading to a decline in writing skills over time.
Children can develop poor handwriting habits, such as laying their heads flat on the table or writing too closely to the page. These habits can obscure letters and words, making them difficult to read. Another common issue is wrapping one’s thumb around the pencil, which can impair fine motor movements and make writing more challenging.
Conditions like Dyspraxia and Dyslexia can also contribute to poor handwriting skills. Dyspraxia affects the development of motor skills, making it difficult to plan and complete fine motor activities like writing. Meanwhile, dyslexia can cause confusion with letter shapes and sounds, making it challenging for children to connect the shape of a word to the sound it produces.
Dysgraphia is another condition that can impact a child’s ability to write. It is a specific defect in the capacity to write, not related to the ability to read or caused by intellectual impairment. Dysgraphia can cause issues with spelling, penmanship, and difficulty expressing thoughts on paper.
How To Be Sure Your Kid Has A Problem With Handwriting Skills?
If your kid’s handwriting is
- Inconsistent
- Sloppy or illegible
- Not as good as his/her peers
- Or, your kid often avoids writing tasks
Then, you need to look for an occupational therapist who can detect the root cause of the issue of poor handwriting in your kid and suggest the best solution based on that.
How Can You Help Your Kid With Poor Handwriting?
It is essential to provide children with proper guidance and support to develop good handwriting skills. Teachers and parents can work together to identify and address any underlying issues and help children build the confidence and skills they need to write effectively.
Here comes the importance of pediatric occupational therapy.
How Can Occupational Therapy Help Your Kid Improve Poor Handwriting?
Competent and highly experienced occupational therapists in Dubai carefully assess the handwriting of the kids to better understand the root cause. Based on the assessment and the current condition of the kid, they devise a customized and best pediatric occupational therapy plan.
This therapy addresses underlying skills that improve handwriting and these are-
- Figure-ground discrimination
- Visual perception
- Shoulder stabilization
- Finger manipulation
- Finger strength
- Wrist strength and control
- Core stabilization
- Acute fine motor finger control
All these also help a kid understand alignment, spacing, slope and letter size in writing.
Where to Find Help?
Hope AMC works with a team of certified occupational therapists who have experience working with kids of various age groups.
We always strive to help kids properly in their life, overcoming challenges. If your kid has poor handwriting, it’s all right.
Consult our occupational therapists in Dubai now! We will devise a one-of-a-kind treatment for your child.
Book an appointment today!
