Functional Hand Skills for Writing and Typing

Course overview

Questions often arise for school-based occupational therapists, such as (1) Does hand grasp influence handwriting fluency and legibility? (2) Should we change the student's hand grasp? (3) When should the student transition to keyboarding due to challenges with handwriting? By discussing hand development from birth to 5, analyzing hand grasp patterns, and reviewing the skills needed for keyboarding, this 2-hour, view-on-demand, recorded webinar provides foundational information needed to guide your clinical reasoning and decision making for these common school-based questions. The second half of this course addresses common issues associated with handwriting, such as copying from the board, directionality, pressure, and hand dominance. In this section, the presenter explores common underlying deficits that affect these areas and provides treatment strategies for improvement. At the end of this course, you will be able to (1) identify the essential stages of hand grasp development for ages 0-60 months, (2) state the movement patterns of functional and dysfunctional handwriting hand grasps, (3) list the similarities and differences between the motor skills needed for keyboarding vs. handwriting, and (4) identify two skills needed for keyboarding readiness. This distance-learning, independent format is offered at 0.2 CEUs, Introductory Level, OT Service Delivery, and targeted to introductory-level OTs and COTAs. As a speaker and presenter, Karin traveled to over 15 states to instruct seminars on handwriting, visual skills, laterality, and hand development. In 2007, she spoke at the Occupational Therapy Association of California's Spring Symposium, where she first presented the "Solving the Handwriting Puzzle" program. In 2021, she spoke at the Occupational Therapy Association of California's Annual Conference on "Functional Vestibulo-Ocular Skills in the School Setting." Karin published an article in Behavioral Aspects of Visual Care, titled "Understanding Occupational Therapy's Role in Sensory Integration: Identifying and Describing How Sensory Processing Disorders Affect Vision and Behavior." Karin spoke at California's Regional Vision Therapists Forum in 2000. For more information on our live courses, visit our website: https://www.sensationalbrain.com/product-cagtegory/ceu/on-demand-webinars. To stay abreast of our latest live and view-on-demand course offerings, sales, and FREEBIES, consider subscribing to our newsletter: bit.ly/3tkOSAX. Send questions to celeste@sensationalbrain.com.