Effective Strategies to Improve Handwriting Performance

• • Examine contemporary literature related to handwriting
• • Discover evidence-based methods to assess handwriting in children
• • Experience hands-on opportunities to engage and influence handwriting performance
• • Apply fun, effective handwriting strategies that can be generalized in the home or school settings

Build Confidence in Kids by Improving Their Handwriting
The increased pressure for state accountability for student performance in reading, math, and science has encouraged modifications in curricula. However, these sweeping changes reduce the opportunities for students to develop large (gross) and small (fine) motor skills, resulting in decreased systematic handwriting instruction and practice that is necessary for sufficient mastery. On the opposite end, the argument that handwriting is an outdated subject due to the advent of technology has not fully come to fruition, since children are still expected to write throughout the day. Handwriting difficulties appear in children both with and without diagnosed conditions. These children require experiences to enhance motor and perceptual development to improve handwriting performance and confidence.

This 1-day, interactive seminar provides a unique approach to improve handwriting using evidence-based methods of assessment and intervention with a developmental emphasis. With active demonstrations, hands-on opportunities, and case-based discussions, this seminar offers the necessary tools to determine and influence the specific factors that impair handwriting performance. Sharing a wealth of knowledge from 20 years of influencing children's handwriting, Robyn Otty, OTD, OTR/L, imparts the foundational knowledge of handwriting to develop a child's confidence and skill-building based on his or her ability, rather than disability. Through the discovery of multiple systems that impact handwriting, attendees achieve a greater understanding of why handwriting is more related to a process than a product. Regardless of where children receive handwriting instruction or practice, they can be empowered to develop greater confidence through targeted activities that are fun and engaging.