A pencil grip may be a tool provided to support a functional pencil grasp, depending on the needs of the individual student.

When writing with the pen, they can use their normal grasp and clearly see the written work because the pen slides more smoothly across the writing surface and they don’t need to accommodate for the resistance of the paper. To meet the needs of the individual student, a pencil grip may be supplied as a tool to support those individual needs.

One final note on the use of pencil grips, they WILL be uncomfortable to use at first. Learners are having to utilize the correct finger and hand muscles.

What if you had the chance to try a pen grip to work on handwriting, writing pressure, and grasp? Now you do! I’m so excited to partner with Two Sparrows Learning Systems to offer this Dex Pen Grip! For those struggling to manipulate, use, position, and write with a pencil grip during written output, sometimes an alternative grip is the answer. In the adaptive tripod grasp, the child places the pencil between the index and middle fingers rather than within the traditional web space. They grasp the pencil shaft with the thumb, index, and middle fingers. The placement of the pencil between the index and middle fingers provides ample support and stability allowing for good pencil control, and less hand and finger fatigue. Rest assured, the use of the right pencil grip, when coupled with the activities you are using to get to the root of the problem, will help.

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For example, things like hand gripper exercises can show kids how much pressure is used to move a gripper to the full range of motion. Using that force to move the gripper helps them to visibly see the pressure and supports integration of force modulation during functional tasks. They are not used to using them in this way, therefore they will be uncomfortable and met with resistance. With this discomfort comes less motivation and desire to use. Hexagonal pencils won’t roll off the desk as easily as their rounded counterparts. With its hard edges, the hexagonal pencil will stay put on a desk with an incline.

In occupational therapy sessions, the OT practitioner is striving to achieve the most effective and functional pencil grasp for each individual. A therapist may have 40, 50, or even 70 students on their school-based OT caseload…and each student will be completely different when it comes to grasp patterns, pencil pressure, positioning of the fingers, preferences, letter formation strokes, executive functioning skills, self-regulation, visual motor skills, sensory preferences, and handwriting considerations. All of these areas play into handwriting. Hardness and material are important aspects to be considered when choosing a pencil. Pencil shape, however, is often overlooked. Though it may seem cosmetic, pencil shape affects grip, comfortability, and, for learners, writing style and technique.This is based on many factors including; their current skill level, motivation, and understanding that the pencil grasp should be efficient and effective, but NOT perfect. Before we get into the various types of pencil grips you may see an occupational therapy practitioner recommend, it’s important to cover functional pencil grip. Explore the other blog posts we have here at The OT Toolbox regarding pencil grasps by reviewing the convenient list of these just for you: Finally, we’ll cover a variety of related resources and activities to support the development of pencil grip use. The issue with using a pen to write is many times, the shaft of the pen is thinner, requiring more precision of grasp and more developed arches in the hand. The intrinsic hand strength that allows for developed arches is required so the child can write for an extended amount of time without hand fatigue.

The visuals will help parents and teachers understand grasp development and the goals for an appropriate grasping pattern. My prediction is that these tools will help get buy-in from the educational team and the family. It helps them understand exactly where the child is developmentally and where you, as the OT, wants the learner to head, and why! pencil grips and Occupational Therapy Now, without further ado, let’s proceed to types of pencil grips that most OTs recommend, what their purpose is, and why they are recommended! In this blog post, we’ll dive into pencil grips occupational therapy practitioners may offer as a tool to support handwriting needs. Pros: Hexagonal casings are versatile and easy to use. With well-defined edges, they allow the user to establish a firm grip anywhere on the pencil. The pen grip’s triangular shape provides comfort and ease for a functional grasp.The pen comes already installed on a beautiful designer pen and comes with textured or soft grip options.The Adaptive Tripod Grip is appropriate to use when low muscle tone or hyper mobility of the finger joints limits pinching and manipulating the pencil. Here is an OT tip just for you! Create a pencil grip kit as pictured below. This will serve you coordinate an approach to determining the best pencil grip for any learner. You will have children that the typical grip will not work for, and you’ll need that one rarely used grip just for them! Have it on hand!