Occupational Therapy for
Handwriting
Handwriting is an integral skill for school and life that many children struggle with.
Pediatric occupational therapists are trained to address all underlying areas impacting handwriting, including hand/finger strength, pencil grasp, visual motor skills, visual perception, sensory processing, posture and more.
Our goal is to help children develop and improve skills using a multi-sensory approach so they can confidently and successfully engage in handwriting.
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Several common indicators including if your child holds the pencil using an awkward/immature grasp, writes illegibly, prints many letters backwards, avoids writing tasks, breaks pencils/crayons due to too much pressure, and more. Teachers and educators may bring up concerns through observation or screening.
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Handwriting involves many different skills including fine motor skills, hand/finger strength, visual motor skills, visual perception, posture, positioning, and sensory processing.
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Even in a digital world with texting and typing, much of schoolwork and homework is handwritten. Writing a letter or card, signing your name in cursive, writing a check, and filling out an application are all common examples of handwriting in the real world.
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Children may qualify for school-based occupational therapy services for handwriting if it is impacting their ability to access and make progress in school. If your child’s handwriting is not impacting their education, they may not qualify. This does not mean that they would not benefit from handwriting intervention.
HANDWRITING
SERVICES
30-Minute Consult
Are you concerned with your child’s handwriting and don’t know where to start? This 30-minute consult with a pediatric occupational therapist will answer your questions and determine next steps via phone or video call.
Fine Motor Handwriting Evaluation
This occupational therapy evaluation will assess fine motor skills, visual motor skills, visual perception, pencil grasp, letter formation, and their impact on handwriting. The evaluation includes a written report and recommendations
OT Handwriting Treatment
After the OT evaluation, individual 45-minute sessions are provided to address treatment objectives.