Handwriting Strategies for Students With ADHD

Handwriting Strategies for Students With ADHD

For students diagnosed with ADHD, handwriting can be a difficult and daunting task for them to perform. Their handwriting can appear disorganized, and therefore illegible. More specifically, they can display difficulties with their organizational abilities, fine motor and visual motor skills.

ADHD and Handwriting Difficulties May Include:

• Having trouble getting ideas onto paper 
• Delays in fine motor skills 
• Having trouble being detail oriented 
• Having a hard time following directions 
• Not knowing where/how to initiate writing task

Handwriting Strategies:

• Multi-sensory approaches
• • Writing in sand or shaving cream
  • Finger painting letters/ words 
• Vibrating pens
  • Allow for more sensory feedback to be given to the child 
  • Squiggle Wiggle Writer | Kids Vibrating Pen
• Raised line paper 
  • More awareness of boundaries (where line starts and ends)
• Color coded paper 
  • For line margins and boundaries 
  • Highlighted/OT Handwriting Paper by The Accommodation Station
• Break tasks up into smaller parts
  • Allows the child to focus at one thing at a time 
• Work on letter formation 
  • Using start dot cues 
  • Using sky, plane, grass, worm paper
  • Primary Writing Paper by Lindsey Tighe 
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• Positive reinforcement/ Increase confidence 
• Strengthening of fine motor movements through
  • Theraputty or Play-doh
  • Working with Legos or puzzles
  • Buttoning & zippering 
  • Using tweezers or clothespins
• Pencil Olympics 
  • Working on muscle memory 
  • Video for reference: Pencil Olympics – Fine Motor Warm Up – YouTube

Occupational Therapy Handwriting Programs:

• Size Matters:
  • Focuses on letter sizing 
    • Size 1 (uppercase letters and numbers) 
      • Touch top and bottom lines
      • Does not exceed the lines
      • Letter doesn’t float 
    • Size 2
      • Touch dotted and bottom line, without floating 
      • “No flying or sinking letters”
    • Size 3
      • Touch dotted line 
      • Goes below bottom line
  • When letters are the correct size→ Child earns a star
  • If letter is not the correct size→ they will roll a dice and whatever number, it lands on that’s how many times they have to practice writing that letter 
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• Handwriting Without Tears (PRINT tool): 
  • Working on letter formation using multi-sensory approach
    • Wet dry Try
      • With cubed sponge 
      • Child erases premade letter in proper letter formation motion→ child dries letter in proper letter formation motion→ child makes letter using proper letter formation 
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• • • Step 1
      • Wet try 
    • Step 2
      • Dry try
    • Step 3
      • Imitate 
    • Step 4
      • Independent try
  • Using tracing and copying activities 
    • Going through maze on bumpy paper
      • Allows for boundaries to be established through tactile feedback
  • Wood pieces for letter formation 
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• • Rolladough 
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• ETCH: Evaluation Tool of Children’s Handwriting: 
  • Speed and legibility of handwriting skills
  • Manuscript and cursive handwriting 
    • Cursive being less motorically demanding 
  • Writing alphabet and numbers from memory 
  • Looks at copying skills, pencil grasp, & classroom behavior