Foundations of Handwriting

Presented by: Teresa May-Benson, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA
originally recorded June 17, 2013

Webinars are one and half hour video presentations and include the recorded PowerPoint and lecture and a .pdf copy of the PowerPoint notes.

Description: Interested in the foundational hand skills needed for handwriting?  With today’s curriculum demands, it is easy to miss foundational skills and skip right to handwriting before the child’s hands are ready. It’s important to understand that handwriting is a complex task that requires many underlying foundations to be in place for success.  The hidden elements necessary for handwriting success are within the sensory system, motor skills, visual perception, and the hand.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of this webinar viewers will be able to:

1. Explain the sensory processing foundations for hand skills and handwriting.
2. Describe the motor foundation skills necessary for writing.
3. Name the anatomy of the hand and how it relates to hand function.

Course Level: Intermediate. There are no prerequisites for this course.

Suitable For: Occupational therapists, OT assistants, physical therapists, PT assistants, speech and language therapists, teachers, social workers, psychologists and other professionals interested in learning basics of sensory integration.

AOTA
Domain: Performance Skills
Process: Intervention

Contact Hours: This course is worth 1.5 contact hour or .15 AOTA CEUs.

Completion Requirements: To receive contact hours for this course you must listen to the recorded webinar in its entirety and complete the accompanying assessment.

About the Speaker: Teresa A. May-Benson, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA is the Executive Director of the Spiral Foundation as well as a practicing occupational therapist at OTA The Koomar Center. She is active in conducting research related to sensory integration through the Spiral Foundation’s Sensory Processing Research Center and Laboratory. She is a well-known lecturer and researcher on sensory integration theory and intervention, has authored book chapters and articles on praxis and sensory integration, and completed her doctoral dissertation on ideational praxis. Dr. May-Benson received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and her master’s degree from Boston University with a concentration in sensory integration and school system therapy. She was a Maternal and Child Health Fellow in the Doctoral Program in Therapeutic Studies at Boston University. She has received the Virginia Scardinia Award of Excellence from AOTA for her work in ideational praxis.

 ADA/Section 504: If you require special accommodations, please contact the Spiral Foundation at admin@thespiralfoundation.org or (617) 969 – 4410 ext. 231.

Continuing Education:

Occupational Therapy Practitioners/ Occupational Therapy Assistants:  The Spiral Foundation is an Approved Provider of Continuing Education for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants by the American Occupational Therapy Association.  The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.