Autism

My parents spent ages trying to get me to hold a pen the "right" way, pinched near the tip with the thumb, index and middle fingers.

I have absolutely no clue what the "normal" way to hold a pen is, but I hold all pens, pencils, whatever, using my thumb, pointer, and middle finger. That's how I've been doing it for basically ever. Absolutely do not recommend that if you are like me; left handed and the other side of your hand rests on page when writing.

Between my index and middle finger., supported with the tip of my thumb. Picked it up in college when I got hand cramps while taking notes.

Here are the two ways I’m familiar with; the first being my preferred way:

Method 1

Method 2

There was a throwback to how to hold a pen/pencil in the US going back to even forcing left handed people to use their right hand, to disastrous results. There are many ways to perform the function, many with their own pros and cons, but as someone else mentioned it might have simply been a "started doing it 1 way and was resistant to change".

I am curious in what way you hold it which was so different it was seen as needing to be corrected.

it's not so much an autism specific thing but it is definitely a "you will behave in this exact way or else" thing. i recall in the 90s being sent to the office, having my parents called and routinely guilted. for using 'the cross thumb' in this image with the paper horizontal while writing. and a few other on here while drawing. then i got out of school and was told there isnt one way to hold a pencil and i may never stop being angry about this.

Maybe a quarter of my class held their pencil various "wrong" ways and no one seemed to care beyond "huh, that's original". Same with eating utensils.

I don't think it has much, if anything, to do with autism.

I see loads of people holding pens weird ways I dont think it is a sign of autism.

Left handed? Lots of lefties hold the pen upside down. Keeps the ink off their hand.

I have a similar (writing skill) story to yours but no diagnoses. I just assumed my hand was the wrong shape and didn't fit the norm that lets you write in the taught and most used form. My hand is too.. .scrunched up.. when using a pen, to many finger tips on the pen itself.

I see some folks around me with autism diagnoses that have extra difficulty with small motor function, and that often includes below-par handwriting. If that kind of stuff has been hard for you too (like having difficulty with cutlery or scissors), it might be part of the same pattern. If not, you might just have been unlucky when they were handing out hands ;-)