Postural alignment, shoulder stability and strength are all necessary components in order for your child to sit at desk and produce handwriting. We don't normally think about how many elements need to be in place for handwriting to emerge. But when one or more of those elements is absent, your child can have a miserable time learning to write and keeping up with written class assignments.
It is amazing that there are so many discrete parts that form the foundation of handwriting skills. In addition to the above mentioned components, a child also needs good motor planning, good visual motor skills, good spatial awareness, good perceptual skills, good sensory integration and good executive functioning. It is important that they be able to use their hands independently or together, and be able to cross midline (go from right to left or vice-versa). A vital element of handwriting is the creation of hand arches.
In order to hold a crayon, pencil or pen correctly, the hand arches have to be well formed. The arches are defined by the creases/lines in the palm of the hands. These are the lines that fortune tellers claim determine love, marriage and life expectancy. When you look at your hand, you see three major creases - one across the palm about midway, one curving along the pad of the hand by the thumb, and the other by the pad near the wrist on the pinky finger side. They form a triangle which enables us to bring our fingertips together, cup our hands and move objects around within the hand.
Good muscle development contributes to the formation of the arches. The muscles of the hands are either extrinsic, or intrinsic. The extrinsic muscles originate at the forearm and the tendons of these muscles cross the wrist and insert in the hand. You can see the tendons move when you wiggle your fingers. The intrinsic muscles are contained within the hand. These muscles all work together with the bones, tendons and ligaments to provide us with hand skills.
Now as babies develop, the framework for hand skills happens as a natural function of development. Babies initially prop on their forearms, then push up to prop on hands and finally transition to crawling on all fours. All these positions and developmental milestones require weight bearing. Weight bearing on the hands improves arch development by strengthening muscles and tightening tendons and ligaments.
Interestingly, most of the tasks we do require only the thumb and first two fingers of the hand. These three form the skill side of the hand. The ring and pinky fingers are basically used for grasp and power, such as when we carry heavy objects like a bucket. The skill side of the hand is responsible for holding a pencil, tying laces, buttoning clothes, zipping zippers, etc. We are able to do these things with the thumb and first two fingers because the hand arch enables us to bring finger tip to thumb tip and create a pincer grasp.
If your baby or toddler has missed some of the developmental stages, or has achieved them later than the norm, it is possible that they will need some extra help when it comes to pre-writing and writing tasks. Children with developmental delays and those with low-tone often miss the weight bearing positions which are so important to good hand development. Additionally, missing these developmental milestones can result in poor muscle strength and tone. Your child may have trouble maintaining good posture at a desk, or may become easily fatigued. Poorly developed hand arches and low tone can also mean that they will have a hard time developing a pencil grasp. Children with these issues often press too hard, resulting in hand and arm discomfort, or do not press hard enough.
The best thing you can do as a parent or caregiver to ensure your child has an easy time developing good handwriting skills is to prepare them by getting them strong. Get them involved in an exercise program, or have them evaluated for physical and/or occupational therapy. The time you spend now helping them to get strong will pay off once they are in school.
My name is Nancy Konigsberg. I have a master's in Occupational Therapy and have provided child development treatment for the past sixteen years. I have worked in schools, clinics, hospitals and homes. I have also worked with a wide spectrum of diagnoses from mild delay to severe genetic disorder. Currently I write a blog called Milestone Mom. In my posts I offer tips and strategies so that caregivers can work with their child at home. There are video demonstrations, step-by-step directions and descriptions of what to look for.
Please visit me at Milestone Mom. http://www.milestonemom.com
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