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The Handwriting Clinic™ was opened to
provide classes and therapy in fine motor and pre-handwriting development at
an early age to PREVENT problems and achieve Kindergarten readiness. The
pre-school classes are designed to use a multi-sensory format to develop
hand strength, fine motor manipulation skills, stroke development and
pre-handwriting skills for children who have readiness skills or mild delays
in fine motor skills. If your child has a specific disability, or
significant fine motor delay, we prefer to see your child in private
therapy. For Kindergarteners and up, there are Print classes
using block print or an adapted D’Nealian style print that we call
“Snail Tails”. The Kindergarten/First Grade class is 16 sessions.
We have a remedial print class that goes at a faster pace (8 sessions) with
more opportunity for generalizing skills into writing, for first
through 3rd graders. A multi-sensory cursive class is offered using
the First Strokes Cursive Handwriting Program developed by Jan McCleskey,
MA, OTR. A multi-sensory grasp class is offered and grouped into age
level groups, in order to develop a better manipulative grasp. This class is
for ALL students who need to develop a better grasp pattern on a pencil -
important because by 4th grade when there is students are required to write
extensively, poor grasp patterns may lead to fatigue, hand pain, or slower
handwriting. Grasp Class may be taken concurrently with any class – and is
for 1st through 5th graders. We incorporate grasp and fine motor
skills during each session for the preschool and Kindergarten/1st grade
classes.
We also offer a numbers class for students who reverse numbers.
Children can attend classes without an assessment unless there is a
specific disability or concern, where it would be important to do an
assessment first to develop goals and objectives. We do
screenings at the beginning of all classes so that the therapists can get to
know your child. We also have the parents fill out a questionnaire,
which helps us in programming. Classes are considered “educational
tutoring” even though they are taught by therapists or degreed teachers. Parents cannot file with insurance
companies for classes, as there are not individual goals and objectives
developed for your child with individual programming.
Assistive technology assessment and training is available through the
clinic.
Private therapy: The Handwriting Clinic is a licensed occupational
therapy facility with the State of
Texas
. The Handwriting Clinic provides therapy on an individual basis. Our
specialty is fine motor skills. It is our philosophy that we can
usually provide short term private therapy for fine motor skills development
and handwriting development using therapeutic techniques. Many of our
students have received therapy through other clinics for more general
occupational therapy issues. We often provide referrals to other
therapists and specialists. Often, a child may be receiving sensory
integrative therapy through a sensory integration clinic. It may be
important to continue that therapy. However, we would like to see your
child sometime before Kindergarten for a 4 month period for some specific
fine motor readiness skills. If your child is older and in need of
therapy for handwriting or fine motor issues, we would like to see your
child for a 4 month period as well. The charges for assessment and therapy
are kept to a minimum, so that intervention is affordable. Payment is due at
the time of the therapy, and we do not file or accept medical insurance
(this keeps our cost down significantly and most insurance companies would
not reimburse for handwriting issues anyway – but they do often reimburse
for fine motor delays). We do assessments for ALL private therapy patients.
If you plan on filing with your medical insurance, prior to your first
visit, you will need a prescription from a physician that states
“occupational therapy to evaluate and treat for fine motor delay”.
The ICD diagnostic code of 314.5 – developmental coordination disorder,
fine motor delay. Occasionally we evaluate students who do not have a
fine motor delay, and we cannot code for billing insurance.
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