Children with learning disabilities often have coordination problems that make everyday activities such as mealtimes, dressing, playing sports, and learning to write challenging. This accessible manual for parents and professionals offers advice on how to recognize normal and abnormal motor development, when and how to seek help, and specific teaching strategies to help children with coordination difficulties succeed in the classroom, playground, and home. Lisa A. Kurtz presents a holistic approach to treatment, equipping the reader with knowledge of a wide range of therapeutic methods and awareness of the many available options. Full of practical help and a comprehensive list of resources, this is essential reading for anyone caring for, or working with, children with developmental motor concerns.

Table of Contents

Part I: Understanding the Nature of Motor Skills. 1. The development of motor skills. 2. Finding professional help for problems with motor skills. 3. General principles for intervention. Part II: Practical Strategies and Activities for Home and School. 4. Promoting basic motor skills. 5. Teaching independence in daily living skills. 6. Addressing problems with classroom skills. 7. The social impact of clumsiness: fostering a positive self-image. Glossary. Appendix I: Tests and assessment tools. Appendix II: Recommended reading. Appendix III: Helpful agencies and organizations. Appendix IV: Suppliers of toys, tests, and other educational materials. Index.

About the Author

Lisa A. Kurtz is a pediatric occupational therapist and reading specialist, and has worked with children with special needs for over 33 years. She currently works at the Jameson Elementary School in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, and was formerly Director of Occupational Therapy for the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Children's Seashore House. For her contributions to training others about children with disabilities, Lisa has been placed on the Roster of Fellows and was awarded the Recognition of Achievement Award by the American Occupational Therapy Association. She is the author of Visual Perception Problems in Children with AD/HD, Autism, and Other Learning Disabilities, and How to Help a Clumsy Child, both published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.