Valley Stream OT Practice Uses Rock Climbing to Improve Handwriting

Occupational Therapy for Productive Living, an OT practice in Valley Stream, now offers a handwriting readiness program to prepare children for school.

In order to help children improve their writing, Occupational Therapy for Productive Living in Valley Stream now offers a Handwriting Readiness program for children older than 3. Introduced in April, the program helps young children who have difficulties with fine motor skills ready themselves for school.

Marlene Barrett Ragkaswar, owner of Occupational Therapy for Productive Living, says the practice began offering the program so that children can do their absolute best in school and not feel like they are behind in their handwriting skills.

“[Working on] things that would affect a child’s ability to perform in school is our main goal,” she says. “We work with these students so that they perform better.”

Through board games, painting, and even rock climbing, children work on fine and gross motor skills that may have not fully developed. Although children work on traditional handwriting skills, Ragkaswar says she tries to keep the activities creative and engaging.

“We try to keep it fun for the children because a child doesn’t want to come in on a Sunday and work on school work,” she says.

Thirty-minute sessions are available for individuals and groups as large as three. Six- and 12-week group sessions cost $239 and $400 respectively. One-on-one sessions cost $65 each.

Occupational Therapy for Productive offers its services Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9am-8pm; Tuesday and Thursday from 1-8pm; and Sunday from 9am-3pm.

Main photo: The therapy space at Occupational Therapy for Productive Living