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Poor handwriting

My general handwriting is poor. I don’t hold a pencil “properly” since I’ve always held one a certain way since I was a child and I always default to that. I’ve even been told I hold one left handedly even though I am right handed. Everything I write comes out haphazardly and I can’t spell sentences in cursive. The only cursive I regularly use is when I have to give a signature but it still comes out sloppily. The poor handwriting also translates over to drawing and eating with utensils. 

Comments

  • BenderBender Citizen
    You rarely need it these days anyway.

    Cutlery can still be important though, it's mostly just a matter of patience and practice. 

     
  • Statest16Statest16 Citizen, Mentor
    Bender said:
    You rarely need it these days anyway.



     
    I never learned cursive which hurt me in the 90's but now doesn't matter really.

    My handwriting sucks too my signature is just a scratch but it only matters on checks now anyway.
  • My handwriting was so bad I had to have handwriting lessons as an 11-12 year old at prep school. Now if I write slowly it's crudely formed, but I think legible. If I try to write quickly it really deteriorates.
  • WizardryWizardry Citizen, Mentor
    I find that my handwriting is generally also on the poorer side of things, though I actually am left-handed. It's generally legible enough for people to read though.

    That said, if I take my time, I can write markedly neater.
  • I'm the only left hander in my family.
  • Teach51Teach51 Citizen
    My handwriting is very poor and I get exhausted after a couple of sentences, there is something wrong with my coordination which is very interesting because I draw very well, must be  a different neurological process I suppose. I never was taught to hold a pencil correctly though I doubt if I could manage it even if taught. 
  • HylianHylian Citizen, Mentor
    I find that holding a pencil properly hurts my fingers. That was part of my OT at school when I was a kid, where they taught me to use a pencil "the right way". I don't like it. lmao

    My handwriting is also very bad and always has been. I used to have teachers comment on it, but that did nothing to change it since I'm not writing like crap on purpose!

    My letters are sized and shaped very unevenly, plus the spaces between words and letters are also sized unevenly. It's close to fine if I write very slowly, but I can't do that when I'm taking notes or doing timed tests, or anything.

    I have trouble coordinating my movements, so writing and drawing have always been very hard to do. Practicing cursive helped me coordinate my hands a bit better, but it hasn't improved massively or anything.
  • My drawing is at about a 6-7 year old level.

  • I too have poor handwriting.  I often write lists and can't read them later so I am beginning to type lists instead.  
  • BenderBender Citizen
    My drawing is at about a 6-7 year old level.

    Mine is probably worse 😂, but I actually have pretty good handwriting: some of my OCD tendencies help with it.
  • AmityAmity Administrator, Citizen
    Dysgraphia affects a student’s ability to write coherently, regardless of their ability to read.

    Types identified include:

    Type 1: dyslexia dysgraphia where written work that is created spontaneously is illegible,
    copied work is good and spelling is poor. A student with dyslexia dysgraphia does not
    necessarily have dyslexia.

    Type 2: motor dysgraphia where the condition may be caused by poor fine-motor skills, poor
    dexterity and/or poor muscle tone. Generally written work is poor to illegible, even if it is
    copied from another source. While letter formation may be legible in very short samples of
    writing, this is usually after extreme efforts and the dedication of unreasonable amounts of
    time on the student’s part. Spelling skills are not impaired.

    Type 3: spatial dysgraphia where the condition is caused by a defect in spatial awareness and
    students may have illegible spontaneously written work as well as illegible copied work.
    Spelling skills are generally not impaired.

    In general, written work may be presented with a mixture of upper/lower case letters, irregular letter sizes and shapes, and unfinished letters. Students struggle to use writing as a communication tool, and as so much effort goes into the actual writing process there may seem to be little imagination or thought in their work.

    They may have unusual writing grips, odd wrist, body and paper positions, and may suffer discomfort while writing. Excessive erasing may be evidenced as may a misuse of lines and margins. Students may also poorly organise writing on a page.

    Other difficulties may be observed in a poor organisation of ideas, poor sentence and/or paragraph structure and a limited expression of ideas. They may be reluctant to complete writing tasks or refuse to do so.

    Some Tips to support students with Dysgraphia
    - Provide support with additional recording mechanisms where appropriate (e.g. charts,
    diagrams, dictaphones, models, voice recognition software and word processors).
    - Minimise the amount of writing a student is required to do.
    - Encourage oral responses.
    - Use paper with lines that are raised; this will act as a sensory guide to help the student to stay
    within the lines.
    - Try different pens and pencils to find one that the student is most comfortable working with.
    - Explore concepts such as mindmapping®, spider diagrams and concept maps as a means of
    exploring topics or demonstrating learning.
    - Adapt written activities and worksheets (e.g. instead of expecting a student to write full
    sentence answers, either encourage the student to fill in the missing word or circle the correct
    response).
    - Use workbooks where appropriate to reduce the need to copy material from books.
    - When organising written work, particularly projects, create a list of keywords.


    Perhaps Dysgraphia might explain some of the difficulties with handwriting?

  • Bender said:
    My drawing is at about a 6-7 year old level.

    Mine is probably worse 😂, but I actually have pretty good handwriting: some of my OCD tendencies help with it.

    Mine was a guesstimate.
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