The schools will not provide it at this point. Go to a private OT.

Anonymous wrote:DD - 7th grade has horrible handwriting due to (I think) low average muscle tone. No matter how hard my DD tries to write neatly, it's like chicken scratch. She motivated to improve but can't seem to do it with just practice, practice and more practice.

Would working with an OT help - our insurance covers it if we go private but would a school provided OT work with her at her middle school after school?

Yes.

My son had/has the same issue. Low muscle tone, poor grip and control. The OT gave us exercises to work on at home. It took a few years, but he is now a junior in HS and during recent neuropsych testing his handwriting was graded as "average." Which was music to my ears.

Poor handwriting is not just about legibility (though that is important). It is also about effective note-taking (which is not the same as transcribing on a laptop, neurologically speaking); getting ideas out at a rate to enable the writer to fully express herself; producing sufficient output to respond to the prompt/assignment. Legible handwriting produced at a reasonable speed is an important skill to master.

Definitely consult an OT. I would seek private OT and not school-provided OT because I think you will get better-quality services with faster and better results.

Anonymous wrote:MS teacher here. Unfortunately, handwriting isn't part of any middle school curriculum, and getting extra OT help at this point involves a lot of hoop-jumping. If you have the option for private help, it might not be bad to consider.

That said, if the handwriting issue is impacting your DDs experience in school, encourage her to utilize a personal device, such as a tablet or laptop, as much as possible. This year especially, many of my students are going this route and bringing their own devices, and it's been beneficial for all.

Also, what PP mentioned about teachers not docking for spelling/handwriting is largely true. As long as it's not completely illegible, teachers at my school accept the work -- we're just glad to seek it done! Any time spelling or presentation would count, the expectation is for it to be typed, so your DD should be fine. Might not hurt to send her teachers a quick email, though, explaining her struggle and how she is working through it.

Good luck!

My oldest has the worst handwriting ever. He also suffers from anxiety which makes his handwriting completely illegible at times. I am totally impressed by his teachers who worked so hard to try to understand what he was saying so that he could get credit for his work. When it finally got so bad that no one could read it, he got an IEP and was able to use the computer lab for all school work.

MS teacher here. Unfortunately, handwriting isn't part of any middle school curriculum, and getting extra OT help at this point involves a lot of hoop-jumping. If you have the option for private help, it might not be bad to consider.

That said, if the handwriting issue is impacting your DDs experience in school, encourage her to utilize a personal device, such as a tablet or laptop, as much as possible. This year especially, many of my students are going this route and bringing their own devices, and it's been beneficial for all.

Also, what PP mentioned about teachers not docking for spelling/handwriting is largely true. As long as it's not completely illegible, teachers at my school accept the work -- we're just glad to seek it done! Any time spelling or presentation would count, the expectation is for it to be typed, so your DD should be fine. Might not hurt to send her teachers a quick email, though, explaining her struggle and how she is working through it.

Good luck!

Get tested for dysgraphia. It may be more than low tone.

You probably won't get school OT but it can't hurt to ask. I would pay for at least a few sessions privately so your dd can understand proper posture & technique. Hands tire quickly so good technique helps (even if it still looks messy).

Anonymous wrote:DD - 7th grade has horrible handwriting due to (I think) low average muscle tone. No matter how hard my DD tries to write neatly, it's like chicken scratch. She motivated to improve but can't seem to do it with just practice, practice and more practice.

Would working with an OT help - our insurance covers it if we go private but would a school provided OT work with her at her middle school after school?

DS has a similar issue - 6th grade and has an IEP that includes OT. That said they don't work on handwriting any more. He's too old. With all his years of OT though - his handwriting is atrocious! I mean HORR-I-BLE! I mentioned it to his science teacher, told her I couldn't even read his writing - her remark was "oh, I can read it. I have seen handwriting that's a lot worse than your son's..." I was shocked to be honest. Anyhow, he is capable of writing really well but it takes him a long time. he has keyboarding as one of his accommodations at school but has yet to use it. Teachers do not dock for bad handwriting or spelling and grammar errors. They only care if you know the content.

I wouldn't get too hung up on it. We've tried a lot of things, nothing has made a marked difference.

Other ideas here. The age doesn't matter.

http://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/216193.page

Here are some ideas of hand strengthening activities. This was written for a younger child but ideas can be adapted: Encourage all kinds of activity with the hands, not just drawing. Play dough, peg board, feeling grains with hands, those plastic kid chopstick things (transfering cotton balls from one bowl to another), painting at easel, squueze toys in bath, spray bottles, etc. All kinds of activity are in the service of developing a proper grasp.

Spray bottles and squeezing things are important for pencil grasp. Also shoulder strength is important, so planks and pushups can actually help. Another I have to do is prompt my son to write neatly before he starts and tell him he will have to rewrite part of his assignment if it's messy. This reminder sometimes helps a little. I think part of the problem is multi-tasking difficulty. Whe he's thinking, he can't think about writing as well. When the only goal is printing, as in copying or dictation, his printing is much better. Also reminders to slow down help.

My son's HW is horrible. 7th grade. I can imagine that he will be docked on tests and in-class assignments that require a lot of handwriting. With more writing in math now, even that'll be a problem. Taking notes. OP you might find other pencil activities that are not writing per se, just to keep things more interesting, that still work the precision skills. Tracing books, maybe even calligraphy, drawing, etc.

Oh, how I wish cursive was taught!

My questions would be:
1) How do your DD's handwriting challenges impact her life?

2) Are these impacts important? (e.g., messy handwriting is one thing, but writing laboriously slowly and having ppl not be able to read what you wrote is another)

3) How much work is she willing to put into improving?

4) Do you know why the HW is poor? What can be done about it?

My mother and husband have shitastic handwriting, but they're very successful professionally. Their handwriting is sometimes really hard to read! (Doc and exec). But it hasn't harmed them in any way. Not sure what the pharmacist does when interpreting those prescriptions, though... and the one who is an exec relies on email, typing, etc for written communication now anyway.

The other thread on handwriting may have been in the Special Needs forum. Learning cursive is another way to develop hand strength and control. Unfortunately it is underappreciated or discouraged in school but makes writing faster and easier too.

Don't even bother with school. It's hard to qualify (my son's HW is HORRIBLE and he doesn't get it) and even if he did it would be like once every 2 weeks and useless. Keep practicing! Do other hand strengthening things. There was another thread about this in the last month and a bunch of people including myself gave suggestions for things to do at home to strengthen hands. Girls are lucky b/c a lot of fine motor activity is made for girls (making jewelry, etc.). You can buy workbooks to practice from Handwriting Without Tears. Keyboarding makes handwriting even worse so there needs to be a balance. Does your daughter know how to type? Type to Learn is a great home program for typing.

I cannot imagine getting OT in MS for handwriting. In MS they start them on keyboarding instead.

Heard that Some OTs are willing to do an after school program. But fret not. Doctors chicken scratch too if it's any consolation

DD - 7th grade has horrible handwriting due to (I think) low average muscle tone. No matter how hard my DD tries to write neatly, it's like chicken scratch. She motivated to improve but can't seem to do it with just practice, practice and more practice.

Would working with an OT help - our insurance covers it if we go private but would a school provided OT work with her at her middle school after school?