Digital-age students fall behind in handwriting skills

DESPERATE parents are turning to occupational therapists to help with booming numbers of kids who can’t hold a pen or write properly.

Summer Tuckey, 11, and Felix Griebe, 10, practice their handwriting. Picture: Richard Dobson

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A GENERATION of digital-age children is growing up unable to hold a pencil or write correctly.

Occupational therapists report a growing number of desperate parents are seeking treatment for their children, fearing they will be unable to cope with writing in exams.

Therapists report that handwriting legibility among school students has plummeted by 20 per cent over the past decade, as tech-savvy children learn to swipe or type before they even pick up a pencil.

Occupational therapist Katrina Davies said writing was a mix of underlying skills. Picture: Richard Dobson

“Children are growing up without the strength in their hands or arms to hold a pen or pencil for any length of time,” Sydney occupational therapist Katrina Davies said.

Ms Davies, who provides help to students in 104 Sydney schools, said she had seen a “significant increase” in the number of children requiring occupational therapy to help improve their hand strength and motor skills development.

With Naplan starting to phase in online testing from this year, she fears the number of children with poor handwriting will increase — coming to a head when they have to write for the HSC exams.

“If the focus is turned to typing instead of writing in the classroom we will find that children will leave school with illegible writing,” Ms Davies said yesterday.

“Assignments and assessments are already being completed on computer in high schools and handwriting is being missed until the last minute.”

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Children can tap, swipe and touch screens before they have learnt to tie their shoelaces, worrying health and education experts, who fear they are failing to gain basic motor skills.

“They haven’t had the opportunity to develop their foundational fine motor skills,” Ms Davies said.

“Handwriting is still an essential part of our society and it will be for many years to come. Writing is a mix of underlying skills and these skills are essential for other life areas.”

Education experts say research has proved handwriting has cognitive benefits as well as improving muscle strength.

And studies show students who take notes by hand remember more of what they have written down.

Child psychologist Nicole Pierotti urged parents to “unplug the kids” from their digital devices during the school holidays and encourage them to pick up pens and pencils.

“I have no doubt that the research of the future will show us that children have learnt through technology, but at a price,” she said.

Australia’s Physical Activity Recommendations suggest children aged 5 to 18 should spend no more than two hours in front of a screen every day, but some spend up to 12 hours.