10 ways to help kids with disabilities write and draw

 

Reader Momttorney was asking about writing instruments that could help her four-year-old, who has challenges with fine-motor skills. I'm no expert though I play one in real life; over the years, I've found a bunch of stuff that's enabled Max to draw and write. I'm sharing here—please add your ideas, too!

First up: positioning paper so it's easy for your child to draw or write on. This slant board is from the Therapy Shoppe; I got Max one from Therapro.

You can smoosh Crayola Model Magic around a pencil, pen, marker, crayon or piece of chalk to give it grip. 

One of Max's occupational therapists used to wind Coban Wrap around pencils and crayons to build them up and make them easier for Max to grasp.

 Max's school OT recently sent home this Bip Gear Pen Grip; it holds pencils, pens and crayons. Max prefers foam tubing (which you can see him using in this video).

The Writing Claw helps kids grasp crayons, pencils, pens and skinny markers; Max isn't yet ready for it, but it looks helpful.

Alex Creamy Crayons are chunky-ish and glide really easily.

Max has used Finger Crayons (aka bulb crayons aka chubby crayons) for years. Especially purple ones. 

Abilitations Crayon Pinwheel Adapted Multiple Crayon Holder

Max likes the app game iWriteWords for tracing letters and numbers; abc PocketPhonics Lite is another fave. One of his teachers just recommended Little Sky Writers in which kids "fly" a plane to write letters.

OK, your turn: Please share strategies and suggestions for products, tools and apps that have helped your child draw and write. And definitely discuss new ones you want to try with your child's occupational therapist, as one solution definitely doesn't fit all.