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Abstract
Importance: The development of handwriting skills builds a child’s confidence, self-esteem, fine motor skills, ability to communicate effectively and overall academic success (Feder & Majnemer, 2007).
Objective: The purpose of this systematized review was to determine which occupational therapy interventions are most effective for improving handwriting outcomes for prekindergarten through 3rd grade students.
Data sources: Searches were performed by a medical librarian in PubMed, CINAHL and ERIC including articles from 2014 to 2024.
Design: Studies were included if they were English-language articles with a level of evidence of I, II, or III that focused on occupational therapy interventions with an outcome of improving handwriting for students in prekindergarten through third grade who did not have a specific diagnosis or disability. Included articles were organized into an evidence table and synthesized. Articles were graded with the U.S. Preventative Task Force (2018) grade definitions.
Findings: Twenty articles met inclusion criteria, and four themes emerged: cognitive, sensory-based, motor-based, and multiple components interventions. One IA, five IIB, and four IIIB articles provide moderate evidence for multiple component interventions. Four IIIB and one IIB articles provide moderate evidence for cognitive interventions. Three IIB articles provide moderate evidence for motor interventions. Two IIIB articles provide moderate evidence for sensory interventions.
Conclusions and relevance: Findings suggest that a variety of occupational therapy interventions, including cognitive, sensory-based, motor-based, and multiple component interventions can effectively improve handwriting skills in school-aged students. Improvement was noted in all studies, which used varied measures of handwriting.
What this study adds: This review highlights that a range of interventions within the scope of occupational therapy are effective for improving handwriting among school-aged children.
References:
Feder, K. P. & Majnemer, A. (2007). Handwriting development, competency, and intervention. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 49(4), 312-317. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.00312.x
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. (2018). Grade definitions. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/Page/Name/grade-definitions
Publication Date
2024
Disciplines
Occupational Therapy
Recommended Citation
Johnson, Cassidy P.; Leners, Carley E.; Stanton, Ashley N.; Wiese, Nicole A.; Westmark, Danielle; Smallfield, Stacy; and Whitlow, Molly, "Occupational Therapy Interventions for School-Aged Children to Improve Handwriting Outcomes: A Systematized Review" (2024). Student Systematic Reviews: Occupational Therapy. 17.
https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/cahp_ot_sysrev/17