Cleveland handwriting help
Why is Handwriting So Hard? A Cleveland Occupational Therapist Explains.
Learning how to write is one of the most vital skills a child learns early on in their education. As a Cleveland occupational therapist can explain, the skills needed to be successful in this task actually start much sooner than kindergarten – or even pre-school.
Some of the complex skills needed for handwriting include:
- Knowing the letters of the alphabet
- Visual motor skills
- Letter formation
- Sequence following
- Visual perception skills
- Maintaining control of the paper (to stay in the lines)
- Bilateral coordination
- Recognition of left-to-right progression
- Recognition of top-to-bottom progression
- Movement tracking of the hand, pencil and paper
- Crossing midline skills
- Fine motor skills (in-hand manipulation, pencil grasp, visual hand-eye coordination)
- Gross motor skills (muscle memory, posture, body control)
Not all teachers have formal training in how to teach handwriting skills. When a student struggles with handwriting, a Cleveland occupational therapist can help.