Every day kids are spending less time holding a pencil or crayon and more time manipulating tech gadgets. This can lead to immature handwriting skills that can impede on academic skills and daily living skills like tying shoelaces or even opening a water bottle. Parents are seeking ways to help their children become more successful and independent. Here are 5...
As an occupational therapist (OT), I often evaluate children who have been referred to me because of poor handwriting skills. Many times a parent waits until a child has already developed poor habits and is struggling in school. Sometimes the parents noticed signs early on but decided not to intervene until a teacher voiced concerns. An OT can help to...
As an occupational therapist, I often meet parents looking for a hero. They are hoping I run in and rescue their child from their handwriting woes. I often remind them that I am happy to help, but they are the true superheroes. If dad is Batman, my role is that of his butler, Alfred. I just provide the tools and...
If you are anything like me, you may be the type of person that likes order and gives away under-utilized objects collecting dust in your home. Perhaps you are getting your child ready for back-to-school and don’t know what to do with the broken crayons taking up space in their pencil pouch. Maybe you are considering melting them for an...
As a pediatric occupational therapist, parents routinely ask me if their child is ambidextrous. Parents often confuse a child's lack of hand dominance as a sign of being ambidextrous. In this week's video, I discuss tips to understand how to determine if your child needs help with choosing a dominant hand. Additionally, I provide tricks to point you in the right direction....