Handwriting Executive Function Coaching Literacy Traditional OT and Speech Services Classes

Handwriting

close up of child writing in cursive

Skills 4 Life Pediatric Occupational Therapy offers handwriting evaluations, instruction, and remediation, in both manuscript and cursive, to students of all ages.

We can help if your child struggles with:

  • an awkward pencil grip; hand fatigue or pain
  • proper letter formation
  • balancing speed with legibility
  • the desire to write
  • a significant disparity between written and verbal output
  • automaticity and fluidity with writing to keep up with their thoughts and peers
  • embarrassment regarding illegible writing
  • organizing the writing process and editing their work

Poor handwriting skills can be fixed using evidence-based strategies, like the Handwriting Without Tears® method. Our therapists use an engaging, developmentally progressive multisensory curriculum that makes it fun and easy for students to master the skill of legible, fluent handwriting.

Executive Function Coaching

Executive functions are the brain-based skills needed to plan and implement what we need to do in order to achieve a desired goal. Your child or teen could benefit from executive function coaching if they:

  • Have difficulty paying attention and are easily distracted
  • Have difficulty getting through their morning routine and out the door on time; may frequently arrive late for class
  • May not know what their homework assignments are, forget to do their homework or put it off until right before bed
  • Find it hard to get started on tasks or maintaining attention to tasks
  • Make careless mistakes and don’t check their work for accuracy
  • Lack the ability to estimate how long tasks take to complete
  • Have poor organization and consistently misplace things
  • Have a hard time transitioning from one task to another
  • Complete tasks quickly and sloppily or slowly and incompletely

Executive function coaching is available both virtually and in-person for children in elementary school through high school.

close up of tablet with schedule

Literacy

close up of two kids reading

We offer language-based literacy services for children preK through high school.  These services can help if your child is struggling with pre-literacy skills, e.g. rhyming, alphabet knowledge or learning the sounds of letters; early reading and writing skills, e.g. beginning readers, spelling, sight words; or higher level skills such as writing multiple sentence paragraphs, multiple paragraph essays or needing help with prefixes and suffixes.

Traditional Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy Services

Occupational Therapy

Signs your child may benefit from Occupational Therapy:

  • Needs more help or takes longer than other kids to complete self-care or household tasks
  • Seems to have more intense emotions and reactions than other kids
  • Fine motor tasks seem difficult, rushed, or messy
  • Difficulty making friends and playing with others

Speech Therapy

Signs your child may benefit from Speech Therapy:

  • Has fewer words than expected
  • Has difficulty asking or answering questions
  • Has trouble talking to friends and classmates
  • Is difficult to understand
  • Only talks about a few topics
  • Difficulty following directions