HandWriting Program utilizes a fun, multi-sensory approach to handwriting instruction. It emphasizes hand skill development, pre-writing skills, and functional writing abilities. The curriculum includes using music, art, and manipulative games to build foundational hand skills.
Writing curriculums are designed by paediatric occupational therapists with extensive training in a variety of handwriting curriculums. The low student/teacher ratio provides individual attention and ensures child participation.
Classes progress from enhancing early developmental perceptual motor skills and fine motor control to writing mechanics and formal handwriting instruction including letter formation, organization on paper, shape and directional line concepts, and copying skills. Handwriting Program is based on Handwriting Without Tears and Brain Gym.
When does one need handwriting intervention programs
- legibility
- writing drifting across the page
- posture
- unable to identify mistakes
- spacing of letters
- bilateral hand use
- pencil holding
- difficulty in copying from the black board
- reversals
- speed of writing
- pressure modulation
- willingness & enjoyment towards writing
The following strategies will be offered in the Handwriting Intervention Program:
-BRAIN GYM: A system that uses simple movement to stimulate brain functions. It involves quick easy to do movement which wakes up the brain without stress or injury. Brain gym movements focus on comprehension and learning, energizing the body etc.
-POSTURE & CORE STRENGTH: The ability to control and stabilize larger muscle groups (such as the shoulder, forearm and core).
-FINE MOTOR: The coordination of small muscle movements of hand, also called dexterity.
-HAND FUNCTIONS: Effective usage of hand to engage in activities.
-VISUAL PERCEPTUAL SKILLS: The visual skills needed to distinguish and comprehend lines on a page and how they relate with each other to form pictures, letters and words.
-HWT®( Handwriting without tears ): Handwriting without tears offers extremely basic exercises in figure ground discrimination and top-to-bottom, left-to-right sequencing.