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Research Article
Issue Date: February 1990
Published Online: February 01, 1990
Updated: April 30, 2020
A Sensorimotor Program for Improving Writing Readiness Skills in Elementary-Age Children
Carolyn E. Oliver
Author Affiliations
  • Carolyn E. Oliver, MA, OTR/L, at the time of this study, was an Occupational Therapist at the Grant Wood Area Education Agency, Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She is currently an Occupational Therapy Consultant in private practice. (Mailing address: 3920 Bruce Road, Marion, Iowa 52302)
Article Information
Intellectual Disabilities / Pediatric Evaluation and Intervention / School-Based Practice / Practice
Research Article   |   February 01, 1990
A Sensorimotor Program for Improving Writing Readiness Skills in Elementary-Age Children
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, February 1990, Vol. 44, 111-116. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.44.2.111
American Journal of Occupational Therapy, February 1990, Vol. 44, 111-116. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.44.2.111
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Abstract

This article discusses a writing readiness program used with three groups of children aged 5 to 7 years. The program combines occupational therapy treatment with a supplementary program implemented by school personnel or parents. The Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration–Revised (Beery, 1982) was used to measure the developmental level of the children’s writing readiness skills before and after treatment. The group of children with a significant verbal performance IQ discrepancy (> 15 points) showed a 17-month growth in readiness skills within 1 year. The group of children with mental retardation (IQ < 80) showed a significant sex effect: The boys showed more gains than the girls. Implications of these findings are discussed.