Fine Motor Dysfunction: Therapeutic Strategies in the Classroom

Most teachers have known a student who struggles with fine motor tasks-the second grader who's unable to control the pencil to make legible letters; the kindergartner who cannot copy a square; the third grader who's unable to tie her shoes; or the fifth grader who cannot use a ruler or meet the handwriting challenge. Exacerbating the problem, the educational curricula and materials used in most classrooms are designed for children without disabilities. This 600-page text answers logical questions about how programming and materials can be adapted/modified to provide the optimal educational experience for these unique children.

Fine Motor Dysfunction: Therapeutic Strategies in the Classroom is a comprehensive professional resource to help therapists, special educators, teachers, and parents understand and manage fine motor dysfunction in the classroom. The book describes activities and compensatory strategies designed to improve the classroom performance of preschool and school-age children who have a variety of fine motor problems.

Information is divided into 15 chapters. Each addresses an area of dysfunction that commonly results in referral to a school-based occupational therapist. Each component area provides: (1) A brief discussion of the dysfunctional component-how it normally develops, how children function with deficiencies in that area, and the kinds of activities and adaptations that will help improve performance. (2) Activities designed to improve performance in the classroom or the resource room, on the playground or during gym class, at home, and during extracurricular activities. (3) Strategies for bypassing the weak area.

Each chapter begins with a reproducible informational section followed by reproducible activity pages that are rich with helpful illustrations. Therapists can use the information sheets to help teachers and parents understand why a child is having difficulty. The activities and compensatory strategies are examples of ways to improve the child's performance and are designed to adapt to the needs of the individual child.