Pediatric Hand Skills: A Comprehensive Overview to Guide OT Interventions

Course overview

Fine motor skills are essential for all aspects of a child's life and often a key area of intervention for Pediatric OT. However, the multifaceted nature of the complexities in hand skill development can make it difficult to assess and design effective interventions for optimal success. This 2-hour course provides foundational knowledge of pediatric hand development by creating a distinction between typical/atypical fine motor patterns and offers valuable insight to the component skills required to optimize function. This course also offers a review of evaluation strategies and standardized testing options with additional insight on ways to collect baseline data for data-based decision making. A valuable, step-by-step method of using task analysis and goal setting to address fine motor skill development is included for everyday activities performed by children. At the end of this course, you will be able to (1) label the anatomy and physiology, including contextual factors and body functions influential in pediatric hand skill development, (2) identify typical patterns and classification of fine motor skills development, (3) state the component skills required to develop hand skills in children to perform ADLs, (4) list motor problems and other limiting factors that affect hand skill development, (5) explain various standardized and nonstandardized assessments to evaluate hand skills in children, (6) list research-based guidelines for intervention. This course is targeted to introductory-level OTs and COTAs. This distance-learning independent format is offered at 0.2 CEUs, Introductory level, OT Delivery Service. The course instructor, Aditi Mehra, DHSc, OTR/L, received her Bachelors in in Occupational Therapy from Western Michigan University in 1998 and her Doctorate in Health Sciences from Midwestern University, Illinois, in 2016. Since then, she has practiced as a pediatric OT in various settings such as early intervention, hand therapy, NICU, inpatient/outpatient rehabilitation, and schools. During her doctoral studies, Dr. Mehra pursued a certification in Applied Behavior Analysis to improve and enhance collaboration within multidisciplinary teams. Once she delved deeper into this field, she discovered Fit Learning, an academic program based on the principles of ABA designed to build fluency and address all differences in learning (executive functioning, ADHD. etc.). Dr. Mehra is currently the Director of Fit Learning Labs in the Chicagoland area and continues to practice OT in both schools and private teletherapy services. She is passionate about Interpersonal Education and strives to foster multidisciplinary collaboration among OTs and other allied health professionals. She provides continuing education presentations for various allied health groups in her community and is an avid blogger for Psychology Today. For more information on our recorded courses, visit our website: https://www.sensationalbrain.com/product-cagtegory/ceu/on-demane-webinars. To stay abreast of our latest live and and view-on-demand course offerings, sales, and informational articles, consider subscribing to our weekly newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/613687fed0d5896caac604fa. Please email celeste@sensationalbrain.com with any questions.