FINE MOTOR TUNING ON THE IPAD

FINE MOTOR TUNING ON THE IPAD

Young children on the autism spectrum often have difficulty developing the fine-motor skills that lead to eye-hand coordination in writing.  I know this is one particular area where my youngest son struggles. This year alone, I have bought adapted scissors, led pencils, special pencil grips, thick triangular colouring pencils and triangle shaped glue sticks, all in the hope to try and aide his fine motor skills and finger strength.  However I have also discovered this year, that distractions and other sensory behaviours- such as the heat, his blank stares, the need to seek movement and deep pressure can also impact his ability to sit and learn basic skills such as tracing, copying patterns and letter formation. Many specialists will advise that the only course of action here is to teach your child to touch-type.

..... Well you could.... but honestly how is that going to help them learn to hold a pencil, a biro, a paint brush ?  We cannot avoid teaching our children these basic survival skills just because they simply cannot sit, or they do not possess a particular style or pencil grip, that is in accordance with a school curriculum. 

Using an extreme example of how a person's will can overcome even the most severe  of disabilities is... Christy Brown.  The Irish Painter, Poet and Author of "My Left Foot" who taught himself how to write and paint using the only able limb he had.... his left leg.

I'm not saying this is the answer to teaching Autistic children how to hold a pencil... it is purely an example of courage and determination. 

Helping a child with autism develop fine-motor skills begins with creating an environment that offers a vast variety of opportunities. Easy and everyday contact with activities like; play dough, threading activities, cutting activities, painting, sand and water play, puppets, free play with buttons, button-holes and zips, tying knots in rope or shoe laces, pipe cleaner sculpture, jigsaws, puzzles, mazes, squeezing pegs or small objects. I used to find in my teaching days, that a simple activity of dressing and undressing a doll was incredibly beneficial for fine motor development. Especially if you give a child a doll and a change of clothes for the doll, boxed or wrapped in different packages. This challenges problem solving skills as well.

Now while of these free play activities are important.... I have recently been brainstorming other resources that my child could use within the structure of a main stream classroom. I began to research the possibility of tracing and copying activities using his Ipad.  While his pencil grip is important, so is knowing how letters and numbers are formed.  I came across some wonderful Apps in Itunes that would meet this need. Also using his Ipad, makes that somewhat monotonous task, much more interesting.

I will be trialling these Apps over the next few weeks and will be sure to report on how they are going. Please feel free to do the same.

ABC Print Big Trace HD

Learn Alphabet Tracing with over sized large letters. Good for classroom settings or home teaching. FEATURES:
- Letter stroke guidance animations - show proper strokes of each letter
- Letter Recognition and Name.
- Easy to read in Bold Letters.
- Bright and Colorful Visual
- Easy for child to use
- Professionally recorded audio for clear pronunciation .
- Tested by Parents and their kids for ease of use
- Design to be used by the kids alone or with parents in an interactive session.

ABC Sight Words Writing Free Lite HD - for iPad

Learning Dolch Sight Words or "High Frequency" Words helps your child learn to read better. The POWER in this learning tool is the ability to change the setting to fit your child's learning level and style and design to grow with your child. Use this to design your own custom learning lesson plans. There are two Learning Modules: 1. WORD FLASHCARDS - SEE the spelling, HEAR the audio, and LEARN the word.  2. WRITING WORDS - Practice spelling the words by writing the words in a trace letter-by-letter format.
FEATURES: - Sounds of each letter of the word - Touch the letter
- Pronunciations of the full word
- Easy to Read in Fun, Bold Block Letters.

iWriteWords Lite

iWriteWords teaches handwriting while playing a fun and entertaining game.
Help Mr. Crab collect the numbers in sequence by dragging him with your finger - and drawing the letter at the same time.
Once all the letters in the word are drawn properly, a cute drawing appears.
Slide the letters into the rotating hole and advance to the next level.

Kids Writing Pad: 

This App provides an opportunity to practice handwriting skills, strengthen fine motor skills, complete spelling tasks, practice shapes, and more!

A simple lined white screen provides the chance to instruct handwriting on the top, bottom, and mid lines.
This App could be used to take spelling tests, practice writing our first and last names, draw shapes, trace words, etc., etc. 

A Quick note.... a child may benefit from; wearing head phones to block out sounds and a seat or desk somewhere with little visual clutter and nothing to touch except the activity they are to focus on. You could also try experimenting with different types of seat cushions or sitting on a therapy ball with legs (so that it won’t roll). All of these things can enable a child to have some movement while seated. A child might also benefit from working in alternative positions such as reclining in a bean bag, sitting in a rocking chair or kneeling at the table. 

Think out the box..... have courage, determination and creativity....

that what is required here!