** evaluation tools ** learning disability resources** Sensory integration links**handwriting areas**
OTs in the school are here
to assist students in learning how to use their skills to the fullest to help them do
their "job" of being a student. This can entail increasing fine motor skills,
visual skills, perceptual skills, and activities of daily living that affect school
function.
- What does an OT in a school do?
- Low tech remediations for fine motor, attention, and visual difficulties in the class here (feel free to print out!)
- Child's Play new!
- School Forum new!
- Kiddies Rehab International Foundation new!
- Angel Moon Creations- weighted vests , blankets new!
- PACER Center - Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rightsnew!
- Bringing Sensory Integration to Schoolsnew!
- Learning Resource Center
- An OT info page for increasing fine motor skills go!
- Art ideas to help increase fine motor skills go!
- Playdough recipes & more!
- More ideas for classroom and home fine motor skills go!
- Kids Domain- everything kid related, divided by age groups
- Fun ideas and things to try at home to maintain OT skills go!
- Freebies-- from Pro-ed, i haven't explored much, but there are some good resources...
Learning Disability Resources: MOVED but not gone!
Activity Resources
- Lesson Plan Finder TeacherVision.com
- Make your own word searches, puzzles and more: Puzzlemaker at DiscoverySchool.com.
- Detroit Newspapers in Education (dNIE)
- Lots of free games (helps teach familiarity with a keyboard for all ages) PC Freeware sorted by age
- Filamentality.com- a school oriented search engine/resource. It will limit to age relevant amounts of info & has lessons on line.Best bet: A little hard to navigate, so try Pacific Bell Knowledge Network Explorer to go directly to their page to hunt for an activity/lesson by catagory.
- lots on this site: check out : The Idea Box.com
- Funbrain.com- lots of educational games
- Yahooligans Teachers Guide & Resources
- Easytype.com- on line typing program with games, option to buy
- Typing Master- free online download of typing practice
- Typing Master 99 - Shareware and Freeware new!
- Typing new!
Fit to be tied: The infamous problem of shoe tying!
- Adapted Technique an on-line source for one handed shoe tying
- Coilers.com a resource for those curly laces that never need to be tied
- New Book::
Evaluation tools used in schools
These are just a sample of tools I use for evaluation- if you have any others that you find useful- please let me know!
Understanding Tests and Measurements for the Parent and Advocate- from LD on-line
- ETCH- Evaluation tool of children's handwriting
- Test of visual motor integration
- Beery Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration
- Test of visual perceptual skills, non-motor
- The Peabody test of motor skills
- The School Functional Assessment (SFA)
- Minnesota Handwriting Guide
- a section of the evaluation form I use- here- check it out, add/subtract as needed, your input is appreciated .. you should just be able to paste it in Word .. if interested let me know I can send you the whole thing..
OT address handwriting relative to fine motor, visual motor, perceptual skills, and sensory motor-- a student may have poor penmanship, but it may not necessarily be an OT issue! There are many strategies teachers and parents can easily try to remediate handwriting problems from an OT perspective. Communication and consistency between school and home is a great foundation and can make the following resources extremely useful.
- The 3 P's:-- an OT explains postion, prehension, and posture & importance in relation to writing tasks
- Picture of proper vs. ineffieicent pencil grips HERE! printable, but it is adapted from a Mary Benbow handout, not all mine!!
- Loops and Other Groups
- AOTA - Consumer Info Handwriting
- Helping Your Child To Better Handwriting
- Handwriting questions answered: Big Strokes for Little Folks
- Handwriting Without Tearswebsite for ordering and info; designed by an OT-check it out!***highly recommended by me for teaching cursive and printing, workbooks ideal for lefties too****
- Download a free demo program to see how you can print your own handwriting paper with colored lines and dashes to trace:Startwrite
- A small site with pencil grips, ball chairs, and more,Pocket Full of Therapy
- Handilines! Puff Ink Coloring Book- great for learning to color or visual perceptual problems