Handwriting Instruction and Remediation: Practical Implications for Today’s Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practitioner

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Handwriting Instruction and Remediation: Practical Implications for Today’s Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practitioner

LIVE Webinar
$40 | Thursday, February 5, 2026

5 pm Pacific
6 pm Mountain
7 pm Central
8 pm Eastern

2 Contact Hours, AOTA Approved for CEs

Educational level: Introductory

Category 1: Occupational Therapy Service Delivery

If you need assistance or accommodations, please contact us at Info@AspireOT.us
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Live webinar on Zoom

If you are unable to make the webinar, you will be registered in the self-paced course in 14 days.

In the past 25 years, significant changes have affected early education students, kindergarten through 2nd grade. One of the significant changes is the increase in academic expectations at younger ages, the explosion in technology, and the marked increase in students who are on the spectrum, students with attentional issues, and students with dysgraphia. The most common handwriting programs available today, developed in the late 1890s through the mid-1970s, fall short in this new era, leaving pediatric OT practitioners with less effective tools in their handwriting toolbox.

This introductory professional development activity addresses these academic, classroom, and student changes head on.

After taking this course, pediatric OT practitioners will understand the theoretical foundation for a new approach to handwriting instruction and remediation and will be armed with a new set of practical handwriting tools for present day therapeutic environments.

This CEU is targeted at occupational therapy assistants and occupational therapists.

This continuing education course uses the following instructional methods: visual aides (ie slides), discussion board, guided note taking, and learning.

Content disclosure: This course does not exclusively focus on any specific product or service.
Presented by:
Martha Garrett Theisen, MA, OTR/L
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Benefits of this course
After completing this occupational therapy continuing education course, participants will be able to:

  • Describe environmental and student factors negatively affecting successful handwriting acquisition and remediation today.

  • Explain the occupational therapy and academic foundational principles related to successful handwriting instruction and remediation.

  • Identify five effective treatment options for contemporary handwriting remediation.


What People Are Saying About This Course

I loved how functional, yet practical the concepts were. It was refreshing for a topic that I struggle with in our OT pediatric realm.
ot course participant
Honestly, this is one of the best handwriting courses I have taken...I would love to attend more presentations from this presenter
ot course participant
This course was organized, properly paced and easy to follow... The presenter provided both evidence and clinical experience to support the material presented.. I would highly recommend this course to both OTs and OTAs addressing handwriting skills with their clients's. Fantastic course!
OT COURSE PARTICIPANT
I loved that the presenter showed so many actual treatment ideas throughout the presentation that I can automatically translate into my practice without further research needed 
OT COURSE PARTICIPANT
Instructor bio
photo of Martha Garrett Theisen
Click the logo to view Martha's handwriting program
Martha Garrett Theisen, MA, OTR/L
Aspire OT Instructor

Martha Garrett Theisen, MA, OTRL is an occupational therapist with 41 years of experience. She worked in mental health for 6 years and over the past 35 years her work has focused on pediatrics.

Though she loved her early work in Sensory Integration Clinics, Martha has devoted the bulk of her career, 24 years, to working in the school setting, helping children gain the fine motor, sensory motor, and handwriting skills they need to thrive in one of their main occupations of being a student.

She has utilized her knowledge and 41 years of experience to develop Because Neatness Matters, research and fun based handwriting resources for instruction and remediation.
She is SIPT certified and is a member of both the American Occupational Therapy Association & the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy.

Martha has been married for 38 years, is the proud mother of three wonderful adult children, two amazing daughters-in-law, 1 adorable grandson, and 2 mischievous cats!



DISCLOSURES

Financial:  Martha is compensated as an Aspire OT instructor. Martha is also the owner of Because Neatness Matters. 

Non Financial:  Martha does not have any non-financial disclosures.Martha would like to invite those interested to register on the BNM website to receive occasional updates and complimentary gifts throughout the year. The BNM web address is listed in the chat.. Click here to join.

Course Outline

0-5 minutes

6-13 minutes 

14-17 minutes

18-22 minutes

23-45 minutes

46-60 minutes 

61-65 minutes

66-81 minutes 

82-104 minutes

105-109 minutes

110-115 minutes

116-120 minutes
Welcome, Introduction, and Learning objectives

Why Now?

Handwriting Physical Characteristics

4 Foundational Principles for Handwriting

Foundational Principle: Universal Design for Learning

Foundational Principle: Brain Based Learning

Break/Questions

Foundational Principle: Fine Motor Skills

Foundational Principle: Target Handwriting Materials

Therapeutic Use of Self

Collaboration with Teachers

Review and Questions
Completion Requirements
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In order to receive the certificate of completion, participants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
  • Payment of the course in full
  • Attend webinar in its entirety
  • Complete Attestation of Attendance
  • Complete the Post Course Evaluation
Please note that no credit or certificate will be issued unless all criteria is met.  Partial credit will not be issued.  
cancellation policy
Live Courses and Webinars
Learner cancellations: In the event that the learner requests to cancel or is unable to attend a course, a refund for the total paid for the course will be granted if Aspire OT is notified via email at info@aspireot.us within 10 business days prior to date of the scheduled course, minus a non-refundable registration fee of 25% of registration price.  If the learner provides notification of cancellation less then 10 business days prior to the scheduled course, the learner will be offered the opportunity to attend the same webinar on an alternate date or enrollment in the recorded on-demand version of that webinar, instead of a refund.  

No refunds will be issued after a course has been attended for more than 30 minutes.  Partial credit will not be issued.  

Provider cancellations: In the event of inclement weather or other event resulting in the inability for a live course to be provided within the scheduled time, learners will be offered an alternate date or a full refund for registration paid.
On-Demand web Courses 
Web courses will remain available to learners for 1 year. No refunds will be available for web courses that have been attended or viewed for greater than 30 minutes. In the event of a refund, the learner will be unenrolled in the course immediately upon issuance of a refund. No refunds will be issued for any course in which a certificate has been issued.  
Logo AOTA Approved Provider
Aspire OT is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development.
Course approval ID# 02979
This Distance Learning-Interactive course is offered at 0.20 CEUs (Beginner level, OT Service Delivery area)
This course is

Registered with CE Broker

Aspire OT reports directly to CE Broker for those states that require it: Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Michigan, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Tennessee.

  • CE Broker Tracking Number:   20-988892
  • Individuals must complete the required steps to set up their Aspire OT account. You can view those steps here. 
  • Course completions are reported within 48 hours.
  • Refer to our FAQ for more information.

Course Author

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This occupational therapy continuing education course is being offered by Aspire OT.