FAQ

The Handwriting Clinic

Frequently Asked Questions

If my child has Occupational Therapy in the school system, why should I consider private therapy?

Why was the Handwriting Clinic founded? How do I know if my child has a problem?

Does my child need a group class or private therapy?

What is an assessment?

Is an assessment required before taking any of the classes?

My child learns handwriting in school, why do I need the Handwriting Clinic?

Does the Handwriting Clinic do more than just teach handwriting?

What types of classes does the handwriting clinic offer?

Are there any prerequisites for these classes?

What type of handwriting does the Handwriting Clinic teach?

What is Assistive Technology?

How much does the handwriting Clinic charge for classes and assessments?

Does the Handwriting Clinic accept payment from my medical insurance?

If my child has Occupational Therapy in the school system, why should I consider private therapy?

Many children need private therapy in addition to school based, educational therapy. At The Handwriting Clinic, the foremost goal is to augment or work towards the goals that your school based therapist recommends. The Handwriting Clinic can provide intervention so that a student can progress at a much quicker rate. Students also progress faster when there is a strong home program and parental involvement. In a school system, occupational therapists must integrate therapy within the educational setting, oftentimes with the result being that the teacher carries out the intervention. This is appropriate for many students and occupational therapy IS a vital related service to the school. But just like some children need tutoring even through their teacher is exceptional, many children need private intervention, even though their school based therapist is exceptional. At The Handwriting Clinic, students receive home programs, parent education, and therapy goals that are designed to be met quickly.

Why was the Handwriting Clinic founded?

The Handwriting Clinic was founded to provide classes and therapy in fine motor and pre-handwriting development. For pre-school children, the classes are designed to prevent problems and achieve Kindergarten readiness. For older children the classes are designed to correct current handwriting problems, and prevent future problems. The Handwriting Clinic also sponsors workshops presented by leaders on Occupational Therapy services related to Fine Motor Skills, Handwriting and Assistive Technology.

How do I know if my child has a problem?

If your child is having difficulty with written assignments in school, or if their handwriting is difficult to read, they may have a problem. Contact the Clinic to schedule an assessment to determine the nature of the problem.

Does my child need a group class or private therapy?

Private Therapy is almost always optimal if your child struggles because it is a one on one situation and individual goals and objectives are developed for your child. However, most students do well in a group situation. Our classes were developed with struggling students in mind and are for students who are beginning learners, or students who have mild to moderate difficulty in handwriting. We have many students that take a class, then may come in for a private session or two to get some individual help. For example, a student with dyslexia would probably do fine in class, then may need to come in for a few sessions to drill in the reversal techniques on an individual basis. Students with behavioral issues (severe ADHD), or other diagnosis may benefit from individual therapy. We want your child to be able to progress, and we also want all the other students who have paid for their child to be in class, to be able to progress. If your child needs significant one on one help to stay on task, or has significant delays, or concurrent diagnosis, your child will need private therapy. If you are in doubt, please bring your child in for an assessment.

What is an assessment?

An assessment is an evaluation performed by a licensed Occupational Therapist that provides a written list of your child's handwriting issues, and a set of recommendations on how to address the issues.

Is an assessment required before taking any of the classes?

Children who struggle with handwriting from Kindergarten up through higher grades, would benefit from a handwriting assessment prior to starting any class or therapy.

Children can attend classes without an assessment unless there is a specific disability, where it would be important to do an assessment first to develop goals and objectives.

My child learns handwriting in school, why do I need the Handwriting Clinic?

Unfortunately schools do not spend much time on handwriting instruction. Many school teachers are not trained on the proper way to hold pencils/pens, and do not have time to instruct students in small groups. Most states do not have any objectives related to handwriting on state mandated tests. There are some exceptional teachers in the school system that provide excellent handwriting instruction. However, if your child struggles, it is often helpful to have small group instruction, like we provide in our classes!

Does the Handwriting Clinic do more than just teach handwriting?

Yes, we have writing literacy and keyboarding classes. The Handwriting Clinic sponsors approximately 30 workshops per year on a national basis to teach therapists and teachers therapeutic strategies for fine motor skills, handwriting skills, and assistive technology skills.

What types of classes does the handwriting clinic offer?

For a complete list of classes see the Handwriting Clinic Class List

Are there any prerequisites for these classes?

The Grasp Class is recommended before or during a Print Class or Cursive Class, unless the student demonstrates good manipulative skills and an appropriate grasp pattern.

What type of handwriting does the Handwriting Clinic teach?

It is the belief of the clinic that students who struggle with handwriting do best with regular print instead of D'Nealian print, so regular print is the foundation of the print class. However, for students K and above parents have a choice of "Block" or "Snail Tails" handwriting. If you child does D'Nealian handwriting at school, we will teach your child to put tails on the letter. We teach "Block" to to all preschool children. All our handwriting is geared to closely match the standard school curriculum, except that ours employs proactive strategies.

What is Assistive Technology?

Assistive Technology is the use of technology (computer software or devices, adaptations) to help students function within the classroom setting.

How much does the Handwriting Clinic charge for classes and assessments?

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. Please contact the Clinic for prices. Parents are responsible for the full amount of payment for class. Payments can be divided into a monthly payments.

Does the Handwriting Clinic accept payment from my medical insurance?

Sorry, we do not file or accept medical insurance (this keeps our cost down significantly and most insurance companies do not reimburse for handwriting issues anyway). If you child has a fine motor delay, your insurance may reimburse you for services.

For questions or comments click here to contact the webmaster