Handwriting Instruction and Remediation: Practical Implications for Today's Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practitioner

Course overview

In the past 25 years, tremendous changes have affected early education students in kindergarten through 2nd grade. Of significance, is the increase in academic expectations at younger ages, the explosion in technology, and the marked increase in students who are on the spectrum, students with attentional issues, and students with dysgraphia. The most common handwriting programs available today, developed in the late 1890s through the mid-1970s, fall short in this new era, leaving pediatric OT practitioners with less effective tools in their handwriting toolbox. This introductory professional development activity addresses these academic, classroom, and student changes head on. After taking this course, pediatric OT practitioners will understand the theoretical foundation for a new approach to handwriting instruction and remediation and will be armed with a new set of practical handwriting tools for present day therapeutic environments. This CEU is targeted at occupational therapy assistants and occupational therapists. This continuing education course uses the following instructional methods: visual aides (ie slides), discussion board, guided note taking, and learning.