The Therapy Studio

Got many questions asking for tips and ideas on how to support and encourage handwriting skills. Here are a few hands-on ideas that will help promote your child...'s interest in handwriting: Core strength - Without strong core muscles your child will have difficulties maintaining upright sitting posture necessary for engaging in handwriting activities (or any other table-top activities). Try to use a therapy ball, engaging activities in prone position, animal walks, etc. to strengthen your child's core. Salt Trays - A great way to make sensory and motor connection! You can use a variety of sensory fillers, and change it up to encourage participation, depending on your child preference. Geo Boards - Fun and interactive way to create strokes and geometric shapes using these boards and rubber bands. Making letters and numbers using these boards is a great challenge for older kids. Also a great way to work on hand strengthening! Eye-Hand Coordination activities - Throwing beanbags at a target, tossing and catching a balloon or a ball, mazes, building a structure from blocks using a visual model, etc. enhance eye-hand coordination skills which are fundamental for handwriting . Make writing fun! - try to incorporate pre-writing strokes and/or writing into everyday play. For example; if your child likes Legos, write words on Legos, let them build sentences and then have them copy the sentences. If your child likes pretend play, encourage them to write a menu for their restaurant, or a doctor's note when pretending to be a doctor or a vet. Need more ideas? Skills In A Box - Visual Motor Integration / Handwriting has more playful and engaging activity ideas, and your box comes with all the materials needed!

Great info! OTPlan

Did you know that there is a learning difficulty specific to writing? You probably heard of the one specific to reading (Dyslexia), but this one is specific to ...*writing*. The two can occur together or separate and both are common in autistic people. You can read more about it here: http://www.autism-help.org/comorbid-dysgraphia-autism.htm #sensorystories #sensorysupport #learningdisabilityeducation #dysgraphia #specialeducation #specialeducationteacher #specialeducators #dysgraphiaawareness #sensoryprocessingdisorderparentsupport #autismacceptance #autismawareness #autismsupport #autismeducation #autism #autismspectrum #positiveparenting #momssupportingmoms #parentingtip #parentingtips #positiveparentingtips #positiveparentingstrategies

Did you know? Image source: Learning Wild #sensorystories #sensorysupport #sensorylife #earlychildhoodeducation #earlychildhooddevelopment #scribbling

Question: How confident are you at identifying a need for an autism assessment referral in girls? The invisible girls, Hiding in plain sight - you’ve hea...rd the terms, we KNOW we are missing girls, but what does this mean?! #5 on this list is HUGE because these girls are often craving social interactions while missing social cues in a way that can be dangerous and harmful- it sets them up for being bullied, taken advantage of, and/or sexually abused. And less dangerous but equally harmful to self esteem and mental health - it can impact their ability to make and maintain friendships as they get older and as social relationships become more complex. And THIS is why we need to intervene early and give them the correct intervention to (hopefully) reduce negative results of misdiagnosis such as abuse or depression. Want to learn more? I currently have a one hour course on how to identify autism in girls, including real life videos and what to look for - and it’s only available until November 14th! Sign up at Bit.ly/AuGirlsCourse