Tips, Tricks and Hacks for doing everyday occupations for children and adults HANDWRITING PART ONE
November 14th 2020
Handwriting: environmental tips!
Setting up the environment is vital for enabling handwriting. Here are your tips from Hayley Goodwin, occupational therapist:
Correct seating involves the 90-90-90 rule. This means that when seated at a desk, we want to ensure the following:
Feet flat on the floor 90 degrees at ankles
Knees bent at 90 degrees
Hips at 90 degrees
The top of the desk should be approximately 2 inches above the elbows when the arms are bent at the student’s side. This will ensure that the neck, shoulders, arms, hands and fingers muscles are relaxed.
Feet to be firmly placed on the floor. If you cannot place your feet on the floor use a footstool or books to provide more stability.
For extra support:
Writing slope, a large ring binder or an easel helps put the wrist in a functional writing position. It is also helpful for people with reduce shoulder stability.
A wobble cushion or a weighted lap pad can provide extra input to maintain an upright position for handwriting.
Remember:
Incorrect seating posture impacts directly on postural alignment, quality and quantity of handwriting.
Picture source from - https://howwemontessori.typepad.com/how-we-montessori/page/3/
