Apply EBP is thrilled to offer you one of the most talked-about courses from the AOTA Inspire 2025 Conference—completely free!

For both school-based and private occupational therapy (OT) pediatric practice, the majority of referrals involve handwriting, with up to 65% of the OT practitioners’ workload related to handwriting intervention in 1 survey. Legacy interventions that include remediation of sensorimotor components for improved handwriting outcomes persist and are based on outdated evidence from the 1990s and early 2000s (Piller & Torrez, 2019). Occupation-based interventions, a top-down approach focused on improved handwriting outcomes, are supported in contemporary literature as the most effective interventions for handwriting outcomes (Grajo et al, 2020). These interventions employ principles of motor learning theory directly addressing handwriting in context (Cole, 2023; Salazar Rivera et al, 2024). AOTA (2020) requires the best available evidence be utilized in our clinical reasoning process, to ensure that the profession continually moves toward better and best practices. While there is a gap between when research is published and the eventual uptake of evidence into practice, the time is now, 2025, to move interventions for handwriting, the most often cited referral to pediatric OT practice, to represent current evidence.

Practitioners who attend will have experience with intervention aimed at sensorimotor remediation to improve handwriting and want to translate current research that asks OT practitioners to refine their clinical reasoning to embrace a top-down approach to support evidence-based handwriting interventions. This course will present contemporary evidence on effective handwriting interventions, have participants reflect on individual practice, share research-based advocacy solutions, and create a plan for change to be shared with teams, administrators, and parents. Let’s close the gap! The time is now.

*This live course is free, but seats are limited. To give your fellow OT Practitioners a fair chance to participate, please register only if you are certain you will attend the live session. (Can’t join us live? A recorded version of the course will be available for purchase at $65 starting September 2025.)

Peggy Morris, OTD, OTR/L, BCP has 30+ years of experience in pediatric practice. She worked in early intervention, private practice and out-patient rehab services, but most of her experience and passion is in school-based practice. She is a Lecturer and OTD Program Coordinator for Tufts University. She is Board Certified in Pediatrics through the AOTA, and a regular SeekFreaks contributor.

Jan Hollenbeck, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA is an OT and special education administrator with over 30 years of experience in public schools. As co-founder of the Partnership for Advancement of School Service-Providers (PASS), she is deeply committed to empowering related service providers through practical professional development and mentoring.

Disclosures: Peggy and Jan receive speaking fees from Apply EBP, LLC. They have no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

At the completion of this course, the learner will be able to:

1. 1. 1. 1. Determine the key differences in effectiveness between a top-down and a bottom-up (sensorimotor) approach to handwriting interventions.
         2. Apply 2 evidence-based top-down handwriting interventions for a given case scenario involving a child with handwriting challenges.
         3. Identify 2 effective strategies in advocating with other OT practitioners, educators, and families the implementation of a top-down approach to handwriting interventions.

This course is from 1:00 – 3:00 pm Eastern Time. (Note that you may be in a different time zone.)

• • • • Evidence on Handwriting Interventions
      • Handwriting Intervention Choices
        • Top-down versus Bottom-up
      • Reflection and Advocacy: What Do We Do Now?
        • Building Level
        • Student Level
      • Next Steps: Action Plan

Attendees who complete this course will receive a certificate for 2 hours of continuing education training

For OTs and OTAs

1. 1. • Apply EBP, LLC is an AOTA-approved provider of CEUs. This seminar counts for 0.2 AOTA CEUs.

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Ticket Prices and Discounts

• • • Free – as a Thank you from Apply EBP to our current and future followers

Registration

• • • Click here to register!

Cancellation Policy

Email applyebp@gmail.com if you are unable to attend. Apply EBP reserves the right to cancel a course up to 14 days prior to the course due to insufficient registration, with a full refund to registrants.

Accommodation Request

Email or call 2 weeks prior to the course with requests for accommodation. We will make every effort to provide reasonable accommodation.

Email carlo@applyebp.com if you have any questions.

Live Online via Zoom

You will receive an email by August 5 with Zoom invitation and course materials. Please check your inbox and spam folders. If you do not see an email, contact vicki@applyebp.com by August 8.