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FAQs
Q:
How do I know when my child needs an occupational therapy
evaluation?
A: There are several signs that indicate that a child may
need evaluation from an occupational therapist. For
instance, if your child is experiencing difficulty acquiring
age-appropriate motor skills, playing with other children,
and handling transitions, he/she may be experiencing sensory
integration difficulties. If you are concerned that your
child's behaviors or tendencies may have a sensory or motor
basis, contact an occupational therapist to determine
whether an evaluation is necessary.
Q: How do I know my child needs occupational therapy
(OT) to improve handwriting skills?
A: Signs that a child may need OT may include difficulty
recognizing or forming his or her manuscript or cursive
alphabet, complaining that handwriting tires them easily, or
they may have difficulty sitting for a handwriting task.
Sometimes a parent or teacher may notice a child's pencil
grasp is immature or that a child has difficulty sitting in
their seat.
Handwriting is a high level fine motor planning skill.
Neuromuscular, sensory integrative, and motor control are
the roots of sensory motor function needed for handwriting
skills. Cognitive and psychosocial functions work in
conjunction with sensory motor functions for independence in
handwriting. An occupational therapist will assess a child’s
strength in the above components and combine some or all of
the components of sensory and motor modalities for a child
to achieve independence in handwriting.
Q: What are the components of neuromuscular, sensory
integrative, and motor control needed in handwriting?
A: Postural control, muscle tone, and upper body
stability are the components of neuromuscular skills.
Tactile, visual regard, kinesthesia, visual perception, and
motor planning are the sensory integration pieces of the
puzzle. Activity tolerance, bilateral integration, visual
motor integration, fine motor control, and in-hand
manipulation complete the motor control needed for
handwriting skills.
Q: What are the components of cognitive and
psychosocial skills related to handwriting?
A: These may include attention, visual, verbal, and
auditory memory, sequencing, interests, self-concept,
self-control, and coping skills.
Q: What are some activities to help a child strengthen
one of the following handwriting components?
A: There are both sensory and neuromuscular activities
that can help children improve their handwriting. Some
sensory activities may include shaving cream play, painting,
or chalk activities. Neuromuscular activities will include
animal or wheelbarrow walks, Play-Doh play, climbing tasks,
puzzle play, coloring tasks, Lego play, Perfection, and/or
Operation games.
Q: What is sensory integration? How do you evaluate
it?
A: The term sensory integration refers to the
neurological process of taking in sensory information
through the body and organizing this information to be able
to respond in a functional way. For example, a child reaches
to catch a ball that is tossed to him, or brushes away a bug
that she feels land on her arm. It is an unconscious process
that occurs every day. A child's sensory integrative
abilities are evaluated by standardized evaluations,
clinical observations, and a parental and/or teacher
report. |
