Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Increase pencil grasp with this pen

A teacher I work with came to me the other day to get my opinion on this pen that she found at the local education store.  It's made to gain a more functional grasp in children and adults.  It has a flat edge where your idex finger rests and it positions nicely in your hand.  While not eliciting a true tripod grasp, it does allow for a functional fit for writing.  It is easy to use and glides smoothly over the paper.  Would I recommend it?  Yes, with clarification.  I have some children that, due to physical limitations, will never gain a true tripod grasp.  This may allow these children an alternative to a tripod grasp to help them function neatly and at a good pace during school   This tool may have break the "fisting" of pencils/crayons that some children have real difficulty breaking.  If these children consistently use this tool, they may just get out of the "fisting" habit.  And for adults with arthritis, or other such conditions that make it uncomfortable to achieve a tripod grasp, this tool could be the key to pain-free writing.

But, this tool is a pen and I do not recommend a pen for early writers.  First, pen can not be erased and we all know how many mistakes children make in the early stages.  Second, pens are more difficult to make a mark with since they must be held at a certain angle in order to create marks.    This tool may  help a child evolve his grasp into a tripod.  If only it was made as a pencil, or crayon.


3 comments:

  1. they do make them as a pencil. twist 'n write pencils by PenAgain. I bought them from Office depot in the past (out of stock last time I tried though). uses 2 mm lead which is difficult to find, but can be ordered from Nasco.
    N Gardner OTR/L

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great, thanks for the info. I prefer crayons or pencils with my kiddos.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Baumgartens -Twist-n-write pencil - www.baumgartens.com - I order them by the container .

    ReplyDelete