Pencil grip issues

[abrightmom]

Do you have any experience with this? DS8 has a crossover grip; his thumb wraps over his fingers. We have been using a corrective pencil grip for weeks now and he really dislikes it. I am not seeing any improvement in remembering to not crossover when he is writing without the grip. He is slower and messier with the grip and fatigues more quickly. I have been requiring him to use it for all writing for weeks now and I am surprised we are still having an issue with it.

Any experience here? Does it matter how he grips the pencil if he writes well with endurance? Perhaps we should give it more time. I have no idea what to expect so we are bumbling along in the dark. Acc to Internet research a crossover grip should be corrected.

[school4princesses]

I don't have any words of wisdom, but I can tell you that my second DD, who has some sensory issues, has a crossover grip as well. Her writing is not at all pretty, and she prints rather than writes in cursive. We spent much time with it when she was in second and third grades, but we both ended up in tears and with a strained teacher/student relationship. I finally reached the point where I said it wasn't worth the effort. The fact of the matter is that most people will be using computers these days, and do not need great handwriting. She can print what she needs to, and her spelling and grammar are stellar. So I gave up the fight and told her that if, someday, she decides she wants to put in the time and effort to improve her writing and change her grip, then I will attempt to help her. But until then I am letting her do things however works for her. I'll follow this thread with interest.

Blessings.

[Tansy]

I have had a lot of experience with this.
My daughter had trouble with the triangle grips. We had much better success with the claw.
link to cheapest one I found on internet. http://www.especialneeds.com/aba-and-au ... aptivaFeed

The underlying reason he is wrapping his thumb is due to fatigue. His hand is weak. We used a great fun and cheap exercise to build muscle in her hand.
Treat it as a game, in 1-3 minute sessions 1-2 times a day. Have him with his "handwriting hand" rip out a page and crumple it up into a ball and throw it into a trash can. The other hand may not participate in helping. So make sure the phone book is nice and heavy. Play along with him see who can do more. I'd even reward him for every 1-3 he puts in the trash can. Getting a pile of M&M at the end will encourage him to do more and more and more.

other things like daily play with play dough, putting coins in a bank, holding a handful of beans and sorting them one by one into an egg carton all improve dexterity and hand eye co-ordination. I also think stuff like climbing trees and monkey bars help too, but that is purely my opinion.

Also as a fail safe "if you haven't already" don't forget to get him an eye exam, to rule out any eye issues.

I also would go for less work but done really well. My DD was only required to do 5 of the letter, really reduce his work load so He can do it fabulously without fatigue as you grow his hand strength. It took us 6 months to see improvement so don't stress if it takes a while.

[mom23]

Oh, yes, we have issues with that at our house! Like you, I've not been overly pleased with the success of the gripping tool I bought. I'm excited to try some of Tansy's ideas! My 5th grader has finally quit wrapping her thumb around (atleast when I'm watching her, although her personality is such that I would not be surprised if she still holds it "her way" during her free time!) All 3 of my kids try to use two fingers on top of their pencil; I think I've given up on correcting that one with my oldest dd, but my 2 sons are making progress.

Along these same lines my 3rd grader really struggles with writing fatigue because he's holding the pencil so tightly and pressing so hard. I've tried having him hold a balled up tissue or cloth with the rest of their fingers, but that produces a lot of frustration for him. Any further suggestions for that?

[Tansy]

To help the child relax so they aren't working so hard. Make sure there feet are flat on the ground/footstool. No feet dangling, stick a foot stool or stack of books so the feet can push down as they write. I know it sounds odd but it works to help them relax. Place a pillow behind them so they are properly seated on the chair. Make the chair fit them when they write and you will see fatigue dissipate.

Also a slanted writing surface can do wonders, use a 2 inch binder on it side,or build / buy one (but at $49.99-149.99 when a 2 inch binder will do, seems silly).

You could try softer lead pencils try a 6B or allowing fine line markers for worksheets, a marker gives a bigger bang for the effort and if you press hard you wreck them.

[abrightmom]

Tansy

You have given me some fantastic ideas and insight. May I ask you a few questions and make some observations about my son?

The reason I am perplexed is that my son has not always used a wonky grip. It was this past fall that I noticed him holding his pencil with the thumb wrapped across the fingers. Prior to that he used a "quadropod" grip (spelling may be wrong there). From an early age he has done a lot of writing without complaint, often wanting to copy long passages from the Bible on his own. He has never been resistant to writing or struggled with it. His penmanship has always been legible and is only messy if he rushes. I would not peg this boy as having fine motor weakness at all; in fact, based on my experience with my first born I'd say my second son has always displayed excellent, strong fine motor skills. He plays the guitar quite well (acoustic) while drawing and Legos are favorite past times. He seems to have many opportunities in the day to day to use his hands and he doesn't resist these things. Again, the grip is a new issue and I wanted to nip it in the bud to prevent some future issues.

Does it seem odd that he started doing it? Is it feasible to think that he truly has weakness or fatigue despite the history I've shared with you? Is a cross over a problem? I can't find really helpful information telling me why it's an issue. I do find a lot of helpful information telling me what grips are considered correct (the Handwriting Without Tears website is helpful) and how to teach correctly out of the gate. But, there isn't a lot of info. for a "sudden", random decision on his part to start holding his pencil differently (though his penmanship didn't suffer at all until AFTER we started using the Crossover grip).

Any further thoughts here? I will do what is required, of course, I just don't want to waste time on something if it is actually not necessary. Finding truly valid and useful information is proving difficult for me although pencil grips are sold widely in a variety of styles.

Oh, and thanks for the tip on the vision issues. He does wear glasses and we recently had his eyes rechecked so I think he is fine on that front.

[mom23]

Thanks again, Tansy! More great ideas!

As far as how big a deal the thumb crossover is-I'm searching and I cannot find where I read this, so bear with my memory here! Crossing the thumb over uses different muscles for handwriting and does not allow for as precise of control as will be needed eventually...I think I remember reading that at first it does not seem to be a huge issue if the child has neat penmenship with it. However, later as they are needing to increase speed it becomes an issue. Their hand tires more easily because the muscles they are using have to work harder and will likely write slower. Those are the things that stick in my mind from when I was trying to decide whether to correct my dd .

From my searching tonight, trying in vain to find what I'm remembering from above , I did find several references to children holding it correctly and then later developing incorrect grips. Sounds like your ds is in good company!

[abrightmom]

Thanks again, Tansy! More great ideas!

As far as how big a deal the thumb crossover is-I'm searching and I cannot find where I read this, so bear with my memory here! Crossing the thumb over uses different muscles for handwriting and does not allow for as precise of control as will be needed eventually...I think I remember reading that at first it does not seem to be a huge issue if the child has neat penmenship with it. However, later as they are needing to increase speed it becomes an issue. Their hand tires more easily because the muscles they are using have to work harder and will likely write slower. Those are the things that stick in my mind from when I was trying to decide whether to correct my dd .

From my searching tonight, trying in vain to find what I'm remembering from above , I did find several references to children holding it correctly and then later developing incorrect grips. Sounds like your ds is in good company!

Thanks Becky! This helps....

[Tansy]

You did say he had a quadruped grip like 4 finger grip? He may be shifting to the wrapped thumb because his hands have grown up and that isn't comfortable/working anymore. But I'd be as mystified as you I hold my pencil in a 3 finger grip... Now I wonder if that is write... pun intended...

I'm so glad it's not a fine motor issue for him. It may just be a strength issue and requiring him to use the proper grip to correct it. That is why I love the claw, we tried lot of different stuff but DD's therapist recommended the claw and we went though 2 of them before she stopped wrapping regularly. Yes I still do catch her doing it occasionally but one look from mama and she shifts back to the correct grip right away. Plus my dd actually liked the grip after about a week she said it helped make the handwriting easier.

Thinking out loud here... I just wonder if maybe he strained a muscle, banged his hand?? and found this grip worked and has shifted... I dunno all my experience has been poor motor control, strength or improper sitting causing fatigue. Anything outside that box is a murky fog. Anyone else want to jump in please do!

[8arrows]

I feel your pain. We have tried the grips too. My first 5 children all held their pencils correctly. I have to correct #6 and #7 everytime they pick up a pencil. It is exhausting.

[abrightmom]

Tansy,

Improper sitting may be an issue and I'm chewing on that today. I want to get the kids Stokke Tripp Trapp chairs for school time and we may be able to move to those this year. It's possible that poor posture at the table could be a contributor and I didn't think of that so thanks! We just don't have an ideal table or location for schooling and providing means of using good posture has been almost impossible. It bothers me!

[jer2911mom]

Hi Katrina,

You guys haven't changed the pencils you are using lately, have you? We started using round mechanical pencils a long time ago and I have started to think that it contributed to our crossover issues as well. I think it made it too easy for the thumb to "roll".

Kathy