Summary: Michele Parkins MS, OTR presents on the importance of handwriting and sensory motor experiences in this time of technological advance. Handwriting practice leads to improvements in cognition, motor skills, and reading comprehension. Recent research supports the importance of whole body movement, sensory cues, and meaningful experiences in enhancing learning. Michele will share practical ways to implement these components into handwriting sessions. She will also share research on the efficacy of using whole body movements, music and visual cues to teach handwriting. You will walk away with practical strategies to implement an evidence-based handwriting method incorporating sensory motor experiences all while teaching children who are engaged and having fun!
Level: Introductory
Intended Audience: Occupational therapists, educators, parents, home school parents
Prerequisite: None
Presenter: Michele Parkins MS, OTR specializes in working with children with autism and sensory processing disorder. She is DIR® and SIPT certified with advanced training in visual spatial capacities. She has completed a fellowship with Dr. Lucy Jane Miller in the STAR model of Sensory Integration. She is the co-founder of Connect Experience Write ®, a developmental handwriting program using music and movement to teach pre-writing skills and letter formation. Michele is a Trainer in the Profectum Academy Training Programs educating therapists and professionals on the DIR®-FCD model. She started her therapy career providing consultation to public school districts on infusing sensory integration, visual spatial, and DIR® principles throughout daily activities and curricula. She continues to use these strategies and techniques in treatment to enhance engagement and learning for all of her clients.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the importance of the occupation of handwriting in supporting access to learning through improved processing of information, as well as supporting reading and early literacy
- Create lesson plans and/or individualized treatment plans that incorporate music and movement to target handwriting/pre-writing goals, as well as foundational sensory-motor goals
- Discuss research on affect, sensation, music and movement in relation to the acquisition of letter formation skills
Upon full completion of the course video, participants must complete and pass a quiz with at least 80% accuracy to receive a certificate of completion.