Learning and Handwriting Difficulties in Children

Is your child experiencing learning or handwriting difficulties? We don't always realise that our handwriting tells a lot about strength and posture, cognitive abilities and more emotional aspects of your child's life.

In this short video I briefly explain the impact an OT assessment can have on your child's learning experience and overall school performance.

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Handwriting difficulties are a fundamental challenge for students. Writing is a tool for communication; it allows us to project thoughts, feelings and ideas. It is required to fulfil many roles in life; from a student completing their school work on time or being an effective adult in the workforce.

There is no denying handwriting is used every day. With our use of technology, it's easy to overlook a simple problem like handwriting difficulties. As a parent, or as a teacher working with children on a daily basis.

If that's the case, the handwriting challenge may be the cause of tasks not being finished. It might also explain why your child has difficulties learning other higher-order processes such as planning and grammar.

The next consequence would be, that they start avoiding writing in the first place. And that could lead to all sorts of confidence and self-esteem issues.

Poor grades then add an extra layer to the situation and all of that because of a challenge in this basic area of handwriting.

If you have detected handwriting difficulties in children you work with, as a teacher, then you may have witnessed some of those consequences in action as well.

And because the stakes are high, it's best to address these issues sooner rather than later. The answer often lies in the use of Occupational Therapy to overcome handwriting difficulties.

This is how we approach the child's handwriting challenges. First, we conduct an extensive assessment. This also helps us find out if there are any other factors, that are contributing to the difficulties.

Our therapist then provides a thorough report, with recommendations. And we implement a strategy that is specific and tailored to the child we work with. If required, we then communicate with the school and with specific teachers so everyone is on the same page.