How OT's help
Whether your child's school has identified that their handwriting is falling behind that of their peers, or you have noticed such difficulties yourself, we can help. Parents contact us for a variety of reasons related to handwriting, but some of the most common difficulties to which it may contribute include:
- Difficulty remembering how to form letters or in copying from a book or whiteboard
- Poor spacing and positioning of letters and words
- Discomfort in gripping a pencil for any length of time
- Weak fine motor skills, hand strength and dexterity
- An unwillingness to complete written homework
- Difficulties concentrating, or poor behavior in the classroom that is less evident in the playground
- Excessive tiredness after short periods of writing
Our assessment process allows a specialist occupational therapist to identify the nature of your child's difficulties with handwriting, and the reasons for them. Once identified, we can work with you and your child to put in place a plan to address them.
Packages of care
We are flexible around the needs of your child and family and have a variety of handwriting treatment packages to ensure we provide the right solution for you. All of our interventions are oriented towards ensuring that you and your child see measurable improvements.
This might include one or more of the following:
- An eight-week block of one-to-one bespoke handwriting treatment sessions, delivered to your child at home or school, after which we will review and plan the next steps with you
- An intensive block of treatment delivered over the holidays - this is popular with overseas families, or those with limited weekend or after-school capacity in term time
- A home and school programme providing practical, everyday techniques, with advice and support to ensure that the approach is consistent throughout your child's day
- Attendance at a handwriting group at weekends or over the holidays
Common areas we work on
Through our assessment we will identify the specific areas of handwriting that your child is struggling with, and the source of these difficulties, allowing us to plan a targeted treatment programme.
Some of the most common areas that we would expect to be working on include:
- Developing a mature pencil grip
- Assuming and maintaining an effective seating posture
- Correct letter formation
- Development of pre-writing and copying skills
- Activities to increase core and shoulder stability
- Fine motor skills, hand strength and dexterity
- Organisation and presentation of work on the page
- Working with parents and schools to ensure that the right approaches to handwriting continue even when the OT is not present
