WHAT IS OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY?
"Occupational Therapy is a health profession in which therapists and therapy assistants
help individuals to do and engage in the specific activities that make up daily life. For
children and youth in schools, occupational therapy works to ensure that a student can
participate in the full breadth of school activities--from paying attention in class;
concentrating on the task at hand; holding a pencil, musical instrument, or book in the
easiest way; or just behaving appropriately in class."
(Information retrieved from the American Occupational Therapy Association)
http://www.aota.org/Consumers/WhatisOT/CY/Articles/School_consumer.aspx
What are handwriting problems?
Knowing how to form letters and numbers from memory
Letter/Number orientation (direction the letters/numbers are facing)
Placement of the letters/numbers on the lines of the paper
Size of the letters/numbers
Starting the letters/numbers at the proper place
How to sequence the formation of the letters/numbers
Spacing between letters and words
Handwriting control, neatness, and overall legibility
What factors contribute to these difficulties?
Handwriting problems can be caused by external factors, internal factors, or a
combination of both.
External Factors
- Height of the child’s desk and chair is improper and does not “fit” the child
- Poor or inconsistent handwriting instruction
- Child may be placed too far away from the blackboard to see how to properly
form the letters
Internal Factors
- Unrecognized vision problems
- Poor grip strength and/or endurance
- Poor eye-hand coordination
- Poor posture
- Proprioceptive/Kinesthetic issues
- Child is not holding pencil properly
- Motor planning difficulties
- Poor shoulder and/or wrist stability
- Delayed fine motor development
What are the consequences for children with poor
handwriting?
Poor grades
- May be perceived as “lazy” by teachers and peers
- May not finish assignments because their hand becomes tired
- May have difficulty taking notes
- Difficulty understanding school assignments because so much energy is
focused on trying to produce legible handwriting
May miss out on social activities, such as recess, because so much energy is
focused on trying to produce legible handwriting
Lowered Self-esteem
How can occupational therapy help children remediate
handwriting problems?
-Handwriting difficulties are the #1 reason for referral to occupational therapy services in
schools. Occupational therapy helps children improve their handwriting through
identifying the internal or external factors that are contributing to a child’s handwriting
difficulties, and teaches the student and/or the classroom teacher how to remediate
these difficulties.
How do I access OT services?
OT in the schools
- If you are concerned about your child’s handwriting, talk to your child’s teacher
about receiving occupational therapy services in the school.
- The principal of your child's school or the special education director are other
resources for obtaining information about receiving occupational therapy services
in the school.
- The occupational therapy association in your state is another resource with
contact information.
Kentucky's OT Association: http://www.kotaweb.org/
Handwriting summer camps
Handwriting camps are held during summer breaks at the Model Laboratory School in
Richmond, KY. For more information, contact Julie Baltisberger at
[email protected] .
What can I do as a parent?
Be an advocate for your child:
Do not be intimidated to ask your child’s teacher or principal for their time to discuss
accessing occupational therapy services in the school for your child. They have your
child's best interest at heart and want to see them be successful.
Helping your child improve his/her handwriting:
You can visit the site: http://www.hwtears.com/parents/parentextras to print free “Letter
Formation Charts” for your child to practice letter formation. Remember that kids need
plenty of encouragement and praise when they are learning new things that may be
difficult for them to master.
Parents Frequently Asked Questions about OT Services in Schools
The American Occupational Therapy Association provides answers to your questions as
well as tips for helping your child to better handwriting.
Parents Questions: http://www.aota.org/Consumers/Tips/Youth/Schools/38523.aspx
Help Your Child to Better Handwriting Tip Sheet: Handwriting Tip Sheet.pdf
Toys that can Help Improve Children’s Handwriting
Silly Putty can help your children increase the strength in his/her hands. Try
hiding small toys or coins in the putty for your child to find to encourage them to
really manipulate the putty with their hands.
Art easel- Encourage children to practice artwork and writing spelling words on
the vertical surface of an easel. Writing upright requires arm and shoulder
movements and affects the position of the wrist and thumb. The best easels for
fine motor development are ones that require children to stand and have a
steeper angle, because they make children further extend the wrist back toward
the shoulder.
The “Operation” board game from Hasbro- Using the tweezers to extract items
from the “patient” develops muscles required for pencil grasp. Be mindful that this
game is intended for children age 6 and up due to the small pieces.
Play Dough Activity Sets- The kneading and pulling of play dough allows
children to strengthen the small muscles of their hands. Purchasing a dough tool
kit will help keep the child’s interest in the activity and allow opportunities to use
different hand muscles for different play activities with the dough. Children can
also make letters out of the dough to practice letter familiarization.
The "Toys R Us" website has ideas for toys that can help your child enhance
their fine motor and handwriting skills. You can access this site and order the
toys online at: http://toysrus.com. On the Toys R Us homepage, click on
"Category", then go to "Learning" on the drop-down menu and click "More".
There, you can click on "Reading & Writing" to take you to a pafe that displays
toys that can help your child develop his or her handwriting readiness.
Toy information retrieved from:
http://kids-toys.suite101.com/article.cfm/fine_motor_skill_educational_toys
