Occupational Therapists' Perceptions of Important Practitioner Competencies for Handwriting Evaluation and Intervention in School-age Children

The study purpose was to identify practitioner competencies occupational therapists perceive as important for handwriting evaluation and intervention in school-age children. Examination of the influence of practice setting and years of experience were also investigated. A national sample of 376 occupational therapists participated via survey. A total of 68 of 80 items were perceived to be of high importance. The top five identified items were eye-hand coordination, motor planning, review of work samples/direct observation, visual motor integration, and provision of education to teachers, parents and administrators. Analysis indicated minimal difference due to practice setting in the domains of handwriting and assessment of legibility. No significant differences based on practitioner experience were revealed. Eighty-five percent of the items were perceived as highly important. Practitioner perceptions of competency were mainly similar regardless of practice setting or experience.