The Effectiveness of Occupational Therapy Handwriting Intervention for Children with Motor Coordination Issues: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Handwriting difficulty is one of the main issues among school children, especially for those with motor coordination issues. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions in handwriting skills for children with motor coordination issues. Current research articles were systematically searched according to the PRISMA guidelines. Two hundred and sixty-eight research articles were identified; however, only thirteen were eligible to be evaluated for this study. Studies were appraised by using McMaster Critical Review Form-Quantitative Studies. Descriptive synthesis was executed due to the heterogeneity of included studies. The review found extensive heterogeneous types of intervention conducted by occupational therapists to have a positive effect on handwriting performance among children with motor coordination issues. Types of intervention approaches used were visual, motor, perceptual, sensory, activity of daily living skills, training device and assistive technology, and specific handwriting programs. Motor function, visual and perceptual skills are the most important sub-skills components for handwriting performance. Future research should focus on homogeneity of OT intervention to improve handwriting performance by using specific handwriting programmes and similar outcome measures. Practitioners of OT intervention should consider collaboration with teachers, parents and other health professionals to expedite effectiveness of intervention in handwriting performance skills. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17576/JSKM-2022-2001-15