To be able to handwrite we need to be able to engage in the numerous essential skills. That’s right…. handwriting is not just as simple as sitting down and writing. For your child there may be some other things going on that makes handwriting that little bit trickier. For functional handwriting we need to consider:

Head Control – To be able to effectively handwrite we need to have enough strength to be able to hold our head up and move our head. We need to be able to move our head to shift our gaze from what we are writing to what we need to copy on the whiteboard (in the classroom) or a laptop or iPad screen. Without the control to hold our head up we aren’t able to see what we are writing, which means we may miss form letters or write on a diagonal, making reading our work tricky.

Postural Control – To be able to handwrite we need to be able to have enough postural control to be able to sit and maintain an upright position in our chair. If we are unable to appropriately sit in a chair we aren’t able to write neatly as we cant form our letters appropriately.

Visual Perceptual Skills – this is important when in a classroom setting as your child needs appropriate visual perception to be able to judge what has been written on the board to be able to copy it or follow the instructions. Without this your child may struggle to engage in writing tasks within the classroom environment.

Reflex Integration – if children have retained reflexes they will struggle with the motor control component making handwriting difficult. This can also be the reason for limited postural control, upper body strength and/or bilateral coordination. Working to integrate your child’s reflexes is particularly important for their handwriting abilities.

Visual Motor Skills – these are the skills that guide any movements (small or big) based on any visual information they are receiving. Therefore, this plays a large role in letter and number formation and without appropriate visual motor skills they are unable to interpret the letters and numbers they see to then be recreated.

Upper Body Strength – if we have limited upper body strength then we might struggle to hold the pencil or have enough grip strength to be able to write half a page to a whole page of writing which is expected for school aged children.

Bilateral Coordination – this is important to be able to use both sides of the paper. If your child does not have appropriate bilateral coordination and integration they will struggle to write from the left to the right side of the page and will only write on one side.

Fine Motor skills and hand strength

Motor Planning – is the ability to coordinate muscle action towards a purposeful goal. Children with motor planning difficulties have an inability to conceive, plan and carry out a skilled, non-habitual motor act in the correct sequence from beginning to end. Incoming sensory stimuli must be correctly integrated in order to form the basis for appropriate, coordinated motor responses. When the incoming sensory information is not being processed or integrated properly in the brain, the child’s motor output is affected. This can result in poor postural control and low muscle tone, problems with bilateral coordination, gross and fine-motor skills and/or poor motor planning (dyspraxia). These issues can have an effect on many aspects of the child’s daily living, development and learning performance and can commonly be an issue when handwriting.

If you think your child might be struggling with one or all of these areas, it may be worth contacting an occupational therapist for an assessment. The occupational therapist will be able to walk you through the areas that are particularly difficult and why they are so difficult, as well as, giving strategies to develop the underlying skills that are affecting your child’s ability to handwrite.