By Christine Whitmarsh, RN, BSN

A friend of mine was proudly telling me about her daughter’s beautiful penmanship today. It took me a few seconds to realize that she meant handwriting. Was she referring to the same carefully drawn cursive letters that we all learned in grammar school? I will admit that my ability to pen an old-fashioned, handwritten letter has gone the way of my algebra and geometry skills over the years. I don’t feel too bad about that since ergonomic computer keyboards, cell phone texting, and other handheld ways of communicating seem to have replaced the lost art of handwriting.

Fortunately, occupational therapists and traveling occupational therapists are continuing to teach children this important life skill. Occupational therapy is especially valuable for children who are having trouble learning proper handwriting through their traditional childhood education. Occupational therapists can pick up where teachers leave off, using a variety of creative, sensory, gross and fine motor brain activities to retrain the child’s brain.

Handwriting ability derives from the speech center in the parietal lobe of the brain (mostly the left side). This means that for individuals who have suffered a stroke or other brain injury affecting speech, the ability to write also suffers. In fact, many occupational therapists and other caregivers are able to detect deteriorating mental functions based on changes in an individual’s handwriting.

As much as I joke about handwriting being a “lost art” I am well aware that it is a significant form of communication and a telling reflection of the mental and psychological happenings within the brain. Occupational therapists and traveling occupational therapists are lucky to have the opportunity to work with children who need a little help opening this window into their mind.

Christine Whitmarsh is a Registered Nurse with a BSN from the University of Rhode Island. She is a freelance health journalist and medical writer and a contributor to Travel Nurse Source and Allied Travel Careers.