Handwriting Flashcards
Education is
it’s own occupation
Education occupation includes
particpation, competence
Handwriting is what part of education
competence in learning and the ability to document.
The key age for state testing is
3rd grade
Referral for six year old, 2nd grader for handwriting concerns. Writing is illegible, frequent reversals and mixed case use.
What could be causing these difficulties? (internal and external)
visual motor difficulties
chair could be wrong for them
tone in their hands and strength
postural skills
motivation / rushing
With a handwriting referrals what is our performance measure?
where they taught how to do it?
Do they have appropriate guidance
vision
can they read?
is motivation a factor?
OR, is it truly a deficit in the development of handwriting?
Fine-motor delay is often cited as the reason for OT referral:
There is an assumption that a child with poor handwriting will also have poor fine-motor control……this is an inaccurate assumption.
Fine-motor impairment alone cannot account for the complexity of the handwriting task
Step 1 in handwriting is
observing postural control
- trunk stability
- sitting in an ideal posture in order to release the arm/hand for purposeful movement
- head stability
- furniture
Step 2 in handwriting observation
hand preference
Multidimensional nature requires us to look at
hand preference
hand performance
consistency and inter-hand differences
bimanual coordination
midline crossing.
how do you test hand preference
place a writing utensil at midline and see what hand they reach with
When during the School Day could you observe Hand preference/Hand skills?
lunch
Art class
Playground
Gym class
start and end of school / jacket and boots
observe during other services like speech and PT
Math and science when manipulatives are being used
ultimately at any point during the day
five finger grasp is an indication of
decreased strength and stability.
Where does the movement come from with inefficient grasps
elbow, shoulder - not efficient
Inefficient grasps are considered as such because they lack
dynamic movement
Informal assessments on handwriting
Comprehensive Handwriting Screening
Bethlehem Handwriting Screen
Fine Motor Rubrics
Shore
Schoodles
HWT Screener
Handwriting Speed
Others?
Things to consider when looking at a child’s handwriting
Legibility
1. Improper formation
2. Poor start and end points
3. Inadequate rounding of letters
4. Incomplete closures
5. Incorrect placement
Alignment
Spacing
Size
(Slant)
Evaluation Tool of Children’s Handwriting (ETCH)
Age: Grades 1-6
Manuscript or cursive
Addresses alphabet writing of upper or lowercase letters, numbers, near point copying, far point copying, dictation and sentence composition.
Also has manuscript to cursive transition in cursive test.
More challenging to score! Sometiems therapists will just use the upper and lower case and make it an informal
Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA)
takes 2.5 minutes
Ages: Grades 1 and 2
Manuscript- Models are in Zaner-Bloser or D’Nealian
copy the sentence, the quick brown fox jumped over the ?
Test of Handwriting Skills-Revised
Ages: 6-18 years 11 months
Manuscript and cursive
Addresses dictation, near point copying, and alphabet writing from memory.
The Print Tool
Ages: 6 and older
Standardized
quick to give
Addresses capitals, numbers and lowercase letter skills.
Tricky to score because it is so specific to score
Skills evaluated are memory, orientation, placement, size, start, sequence, control and spacing.
Types of Interventions for Educational Performance
- Create
- Establish
- Maintain
- Modify
- Prevent
(Table 15.4, pg 380)(Box 15.2, pg 384- In hand manipulation activities
Models of Practice
Help to articulate intervention techniques
Collaborate with teachers
Implement strategies
Train others
Closely monitor progress
*What are some models of practice we could use?
Models of practice for handwriting
acquisitional / motor learning
sensorimotor
biomechanical
cognitive
psychosocial
