• About Me •
• About Me •
Hi, my name is Mel and I am an Occupational Therapist based in Essendon, Victoria. I have worked in many different roles over my 24 year career as an OT, and became interested in handwriting intervention after observing my three children learn the art of handwriting.
I now manage my own business, Ready Set Write, focussing on Children's Handwriting.
I work with young children just starting out on their handwriting journey all the way through to older children who need support for their VCE exams.
​
I also complete standardised movement, sensory profile and school readiness assessments.
Handwriting
Handwriting
Handwriting is a complex task which needs explicit instruction and practise to master. Children need to be aware of how to correctly form letters, and then be able to write them with speed and accuracy. Children also need to be able to self-correct and monitor their own mistakes, noticing grammar, punctuation, spelling, size and spacing.
There is no way around it! If you want to improve your child’s handwriting speed and accuracy, then practising handwriting is the key. Repetition is one of the most effective ways to build confidence, speed and accuracy when learning any skill, and it’s the same for handwriting. It can take up to 20 targeted handwriting sessions, plus homework in between sessions, to make an improvement. Weekly intervention sessions are recommended for best results and sessions are booked in advance following the school term dates.
Eventually, we want our children to be able to focus their effort on what they are writing rather than how they are writing it. There is a lot to remember, and fluent, legible, and automatic handwriting takes time….and practise.
Most issues with handwriting stem from improper letter formation, making the words hard to read. It is important to work on the letter formation and placement first, otherwise speeding up the handwriting will cause the legibility to deteriorate further.
Another way to improve handwriting speed and legibility is by working on your child’s fine motor skills. Increasing hand strength and finger dexterity can help your child get more control over the pencil (and hopefully improve handwriting as a result). Strengthening fine motor skills should also help improve their endurance of writing tasks. There are lots of ways to do this, and not all of them involve picking up a pen.
Special Examination Arrangements (SEA) may be approved for students with disabilities, illnesses or other circumstances that affect their ability to access a VCE external assessment.
Students with a Motor Coordination Disorder, health impairment or other physical disabilities may possess specific motor skill deficits which can cause significant difficulties with slowness and/or inaccuracy of handwriting.
The DASH assessment is ideal for providing formal evidence of handwriting speed difficulties in students.
Special Exam Arrangements for VCE Exams
Fine motor skills, strength & endurance
Fine motor skills, strength & endurance
Please email for more information or to send a referral
Please email for more information or to send a referral