Pencil grip is the first visible sign of handwriting difficulties that can cause teachers and parents to ask for the assistance of an occupational therapist. But, as important as an efficient pencil grip is to handwriting skills, it is not always the cause of handwriting needs. Research studies have concluded that an efficient pencil may not always look like one – although it is functional, nonetheless. My article, “Should we worry about pencil grip?” shares important research conclusions and their implications for an occupational therapy assessment and remediation plan for handwriting development skills. Please share your feedback!
Katherine J. Collmer, M.Ed., OTR/L, owner, Handwriting With Katherine
Handwriting mastery has been determined to be a leading factor in literacy. Research has proven that early handwriting instruction, if done right, improves students’ handwriting and that poor handwriting skills place the earliest constraints on writing development. (1) Writing* instruction, and its favorable effect on improving reading fluency, has been given the rating of “strong confidence” among research experts. (2) This is significant in the light that reading skills lie “at the heart of education,” with learning to read and write providing the foundation for both academic and economic success. (3) Such as that is, handwriting mastery continues to remain a skill that 10%-34% of school-age children continue to fail to achieve, (4, qtd. in 5) with handwriting problems being prevalent in up to 25% of typically developing children. (6) That may explain why results from a survey of 167 occupational therapists revealed that 98% reported problems with handwriting to be the most common reasons for referrals from teachers. (7, 8)
