ABC's of SPD – F is for Fine Motor Skills

Welcome to this week’s Blogging Through the Alphabet! I have been Blogging through the Alphabet with Ben and Me and many other bloggers who are offering a wide variety of topics. I am sharing a new topic related to Sensory Processing Disorder each week as we blog through the alphabet.

F is for Fine Motor Skills

There is still a lot of progress to be made in understanding SPD and acknowledging it as an independent disorder that can benefit from treatment. In fact, this past week we went to a new doctor’s office, and when I said our youngest son has SPD she asked “Secondary to what?”
Secondary to nothing! It’s just Sensory Processing Disorder. Although many with other disorders also have SPD, it is definitely possible to have just SPD.
Because of this, it is challenging for those with SPD alone to get the therapy they need because of poor understanding and acknowledgement. Many qualify because of their specific challenges and not because of the SPD itself.
One of these challenges is fine motor skills. Many with SPD have weak fine motor skills. For young children, it may be harder for them to learn how to write, draw, color, cut, etc. Their hands may actually shake when doing these activities. They may hold the pencil incorrectly. I’m an adult with SPD, and I still hold a pencil incorrectly!
This actually led me to consider how to address our children’s fine motor skills. There are so many options available to help improve grip and develop fine motor skills in regards to writing. After many tears and frustration, I asked their Occupational Therapist how important it was to hold the pencil correctly. I write quite well despite my awkward grip. The consensus was that if they’re writing fine as is, don’t mess with it.
In this picture from my Clued in Kids Review you can see how neither our oldest son (left) nor our daughter (right) use the index finger hardly at all (if at all):

My husband actually doesn’t hold it correctly either, so it’s safe to say we had no idea how to correct it before it became a problem. We know better now and can get our preschooler started off right! As I mentioned, there are many tools available to help. ARK Therapeutic offers many and the National Autism Resources is another great place to shop for fine-motor tools.
Of course, practicing is always a big help. Practice writing and cutting as the day allows. Many times our homeschool art time is just that! You can also make sensory bins with small objects to improve fine motor skills and do activities like putting beads on string, lacing cards (or shoes!), and gluing beads or small objects on construction paper. I will share some of our projects son!
For myself? My crafts challenge me to build my fine-motor skills! Phew!
Do you work on fine-motor skills with your kiddos? What are some activities you do?

ABC Blogging

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