Presented By: Occupational Therapy Department Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18 Date: April 17, 2005.

Presented By:Presented By:Occupational Therapy Department Occupational Therapy Department

Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18Luzerne Intermediate Unit 18Date: April 17, 2005Date: April 17, 2005

The Role of Occupational Therapy • Occupational therapists focus on

an individual’s ability to perform functional tasks within the school setting improving the student’s ability to benefit from their education.

Areas of School Function

MobilityADL’sSchool RoutinesWritten

Communication

Play and LeisurePre-vocational SkillsVocational SkillsSocial Skills

Mobility• Range of Motion• Adaptive Equipment• Consultation to

physical education teacher and regular education teacher

• Home exercise program

Activities of Daily Living

• Fine motor coordination skills such as buttoning, zipping and snapping

• Donning/doffing coat• Tying shoes• Compensatory

strategies

School Routines• Adapt student

schedule• Building orientation• Self-monitoring

program• Consultation with

teachers

Pre-vocational Skills• Fine motor skills• Gross motor skills• Interests• Attention span• Ability to follow directions• Physical limitations

Vocational Skills• On-site evaluation

and training• Adaptations as

needed to perform• Recommendations

for placement• Consultation with

teachers, parents and community resources

Play and Leisure• Gross motor skills• Fine motor skills• Physical limitations• Adaptations to toys• Interest survey• Social skills

Social Skills• Communication skills• Attention span• Physical limitations• Interests• Behavior• Functioning age level

Written Communication• Fine motor skills• Posture/positioning• Pencil grip• Special paper• Perceptual motor skills• Alternate methods of written work

Handwriting Performance Components

• Body and spatial awareness

• Laterality• Directionality• Visual Perception• Visual Motor

Integration• Postural

Stability/Control

Handwriting Performance

Components (cont’d)• Proximal Stability• In-Hand Manipulation• Hand Strength• Motor Planning• Ocular Motor Control• Bilateral Integration• Eye-Hand Coordination

Pre-writing Skills• The mastery of handwriting requires

development of pre-writing skills. Addressing these skills through activities, play, and instruction will help to build a strong foundation for handwriting. By the latter half of kindergarten, most normally developing students have acquired the following skills:

Pre-Writing Skills (con’t)

• An established dominance for coloring, drawing, or using a fork.

• The ability to cross the midline of the body.

• A functional pencil grasp.• An understanding of directional terms

and the ability to recognize similarities and differences in forms.

Pre-Writing Skills (con’t)

• The ability to copy basic lines and shapes.• The ability to use two hands in an activity.• The ability to coordinate eyes and hands

together.• The ability to maintain an adequate sitting

posture.• Orientation to print.

Ergonomics of Handwriting

• Ergonomics is the science of adapting the work space or work conditions in order for the worker to be successful. Factors that need to be taught and reinforced for handwriting include:

Writing Posture• Comfortable/Upright• Feet flat on the floor• Knees and hips at 90

degrees• Appropriate desk

height• Chair and desk have

to fit properly

Pencil Grip• Dynamic tripod

grasp most commonly used by children and adults

• Should be reinforced with most students

• Difficult to alter after a child starts 2nd grade

Paper Position• Cursive-slant of 30

degrees to left for right-handers and 35 to 45 degrees to the right for left-handers

• Masking tape on desk to mark the correct slant

Compensatory Strategies (con’t)

• Have student work on an inclined surface(blackboard, easel or slant board)

• Use a tongue depressor, popsicle stick or students finger for spacing of words

• Use large graph paper• Turn lined paper sideways for columns

for math problems

Compensatory Strategies (con’t)

• Emphasize lines on paper by visual or tactile cues

• Emphasize directional terms• Have student use a computer for

assignments• Provide visual alphabet on desk for

reference• Reduce the writing load• Allow student to give oral

reports/demonstrations

Functional Handwriting Tasks

• Complete address and telephone books• Address envelopes• Make and send cards• Fill out forms/applications• Label maps• Make shopping lists• Write a to-do list

Functional Handwriting Tasks (con’t)

• Write recipe cards• Write thank-you notes• Work on crosswords• Send postcards/letters• Get a pen pal• Keep a diary or journal

Poor Handwriting Cycle

IMPORTANT !!!

• Remember it will be very difficult if not impossible to change once an ineffective grip is established.

• Early intervention is a must !!!

Web Resources

• Handwriting

• The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. - Helping people of all ages develop skills for the job of living