Exploring the participation of children with Down Syndrome in Handwriting Without Tears

Abstract

BackgroundChildren with Down Syndrome typically experience difficulties with attention to task and lack motivation when learning to write. This article provides an evaluation of the HWT® method applied as an intervention to promote handwriting amongst children with Down Syndrome attending mainstream school in The Republic of Ireland. MethodsIn the absence of standardised measures, a purpose-designed group task participation scale and pre-and post-intervention teacher/parent questionnaire were developed by the first author and used to investigate the participation of 40 children with Down Syndrome in HWT® activities . ResultsPositive changes in participation in HWT® activities were recorded in group data and in teacher/parent report. ConclusionsHands-on multisensory learning approaches such as HWT® may encourage children with Down Syndrome to participate in activities that promote handwriting skills.Further research and the development of robust measures to evaluate handwriting intervention for this population of children is required.

Potential Role of Occupational Therapist Intervention in Elementary School for Children with Additional Support Needs: A Systematic Review

“…However, the second one used an online program. Continuing with the quasi-experimental studies, Patton et al [ 43 ] and Patton et al [ 44 ] conducted pre- and post-intervention assessments, advocating for the use of Handwriting Without Tears in children with Down Syndrome [ 45 ] and emphasizing the importance of occupational therapist involvement, as also promoted by Lee et al [ 46 ]. Another study examined a method for enhancing handwriting skills by utilizing the Size Matters Handwriting Program, resulting in improvements across a minimum of two quality categories of handwriting [ 47 ].…”

“…There are many types of interventions related to handwriting, typing, visual–perceptual, and sensory-motor activities, among others [ 25 ]. One common intervention applied in SLD, specifically in Down Syndrome, is Handwriting Without Tears [ 43 , 44 ], which distinguishes the importance of having an occupational therapist in the intervention due to the scarce training of teachers in handwriting to children with SLD. It is shared and complements the vision of an unconventional approach, more individualized intervention, and includes the occupational therapist as part of the professional team in charge of using occupational participation and commitment to strengthen children’s ability to make them succeed in reading [ 22 , 32 ].…”