Tag Archives: therapist resources

Explore curated resources for therapists, including intervention tools, educational materials, assessment supports, and treatment strategies. Designed for therapists and educators, these resources help professionals plan effective sessions, support diverse client needs, and stay current with best practices in therapeutic and educational settings.

Tools for Developing Scissor Skills

Fine Motor & Hand Skill Development, , ,

On September 19, 2023, Kelly Wilk-Downs, OTR/L presented Therapro’s first FREE Webinar of this school year, Cutting Made Simple. She offered a comprehensive look at the:

  • Development of scissor use
  • Selecting appropriate scissors for students
  • Prerequisite skills needed for learning to cut with scissors

This blog post comes on the heels of Kelly’s webinar; in this post we are reviewing some tools available at Therapro that are perfect for encouraging the development of scissor skills in beginner scissor users and beyond!

Cover of the book Hats Off and On to Scissors Skills a book for Developing Scissor Skills

Hats Off and On to Scissor Skills: Exclusive to Therapro is a creative publication called Hats Off and On to Scissor Skills, by
Peggy Huntley Spitz, OTR. This book consists of 25 themed hat designs that can be made for 4
progressive levels of cutting skills:

  • Straight line cutting and/or random snipping
  • Curved line cutting
  • Simple shape cutting
  • Complex shape cutting

This is a fun and unique activity book that will help you create an enjoyable project for the
developmental progression of scissor skills!

Comprehensive Scissor Assessment Kit used for Developing Scissor Skills

Comprehensive Scissor Assessment Kit: Therapro offers a variety adaptive scissors that will ensure active participation from all students
learning cutting skills, including those with limited hand function due to weakness, incoordination, and other functional limitations. Check out Therapro’s Comprehensive Scissor Assessment Kit, which includes 15 scissors of 10 different styles, plus a carry case and Manual.

Therapro carries a variety of scissors to meet the different needs of scissor users as they are progressing developmentally. Here is a sample of some of our favorite scissors.

Easi-Grip Loop Scissors for early scissor skills

Easi-Grip Loop Scissors : Easi Grip Loop Scissors are available in two sizes; the Mini Easi-Grip Loop Scissors are great for pre-school children while the standard Easi Grip Loop Scissors are made for the adult sized hand. These scissors are self opening for either right or left hand. They are operated by using pressure between the thumb and fingers or palm and fingers.

Self Opening Scissors

Self Opening Scissors : The Self Opening Scissors are available for left and right handed users. These scissors reopen automatically after hand pressure has been released.

Long Loop Scissors

Long Loop Scissors : The Long Loop Scissors are also available for left and right handed users. These scissors allow the user to use whole hand strength to operate. They also provide greater finger contact, which offers better control.

Mounted Table Top Scissors

Mounted Table Top Scissors : The Mounted Table Top Scissors offer stability with scissors attached to a base. To operate users simply depressing the large handle.

Be sure to check out all of the scissors and scissor activities available at Therapro!

Guest Blogger: Filomena Connor, MSOTR, Retired

schoodles logo

Using Schoodles School Fine Motor Assessment (SFMA) as Part of a Strengths-Based Assessment

Assessments, Fine Motor & Hand Skill Development, ,


What does a ‘strengths-based’ assessment mean to you? In the past, it may have simply
involved listing a student’s strengths and then moving on to their needs. However, a
strengths-based assessment can be a powerful tool for promoting self-confidence,
motivation, and independence. This type of assessment highlights areas for growth and
improvement, while simultaneously showcasing a student’s positive attributes. By utilizing
a strengths-based approach, parents, staff, and students can all view the student in a
different, more positive light.

Using a criterion-reference tool like Schoodles, you can more effectively locate areas where
a student excels, as well as areas that require further support. Unlike standardized tools,
Schoodles offers the flexibility to provide verbal prompts, visual demonstrations, task
grading, or other aids to help students complete challenging tasks.
Here are some strengths/needs we can observe during testing:

  • Good attention to task/ may need support to move from activity to activity
  • Demonstrates interest and curiosity about all of the materials/may need a limited amount of materials in front of him to work to his potential
  • Highly sociable/may need some social time before beginning hands-on tasks
  • Quick learner/excellent candidate for 6-10  week burst of service to improve skills
  • Easily understands and follows visual versus verbal directions/may benefit from visual supports to move through the day
  • Loves to use his hands/ may benefit from fidgets or may need to be presented with one task at a time and given extra time to explore hands-on activities.

To effectively support students, we must shift our attention from their limitations to their capabilities. It is a common misconception that a strengths-based focus disregards a student’s challenges. We can describe a student’s skills in neutral or positive terms, highlighting attributes that help them succeed. While we do not ignore struggles or weaknesses, we strive to reframe them in a constructive manner.

You could start by reviewing your previous documentation to initiate a shift toward strengths. Highlight all the positive statements in green, all neutral statements in yellow, and all negative statements in red. By doing this, you can aim to minimize negative statements and ultimately eliminate them altogether.

When writing reports, it’s important to provide a positive summary of your data while still including any challenges. Here are some helpful tips:

  • Place all test scores at the bottom of your report.
  • Use positive or neutral descriptive language only.
  • Focus on what the student CAN do.
  • Reframe subjective language into objective language.
  • Highlight areas of potential growth.

By using Schoodles‘ SFMA alone or in combination with other tools, you can gain valuable
information about student strengths in a relatively short amount of time. Focusing on
student strengths during information gathering, report writing, and sharing will help
facilitate a sense of student efficacy in the students, their parents, and staff.

Guest Blogger Marie Frank OTR/L, Schoodles Co-Owner

Promoting Independence In Teens With Diverse Learning Profiles

Assistive Technology, Daily Living, , , ,

The ability to independently complete essential daily living tasks becomes increasingly more important as individuals near the pre-teen and teen years. For teens with diverse learning profiles, the ability to master these critical skills can be challenging. However, there are readily available tools that can help promote independence! In this post we are covering a few low to mid tech solutions that can be a game changer for teens struggling with the ability to independently complete critical self care tasks.  

  1. Elastic Shoe Laces. There is nothing more frustrating than a loose shoe or tripping over untied laces but asking for help can be even harder. The good news is there is a simple solution, elastic shoe laces!  Simply replace standard shoe laces with elastic shoe laces. Once in place, secure with a double knot and standard bow. The elastic shoe laces provide enough stretch to simply slip on and slip out of shoes, eliminating the need for tying. 
  2. Schedules & Time Cues. Remembering when to do something or remembering the correct sequence of a task can be difficult for teens who struggling with executive function deficits.  These teens often rely on a support person to provide prompts for task initiation and sequencing which decreases their overall independence.  The good news is there is a variety of readily available assistive technology tools that can support a teen’s ability to manage time with greater independence.  Check out our previous post, Assistive Technology for Time Management, for ideas! 
  3. Picture Adapted Cookbooks: Preparing a simple meal or snack is one of the greatest acts of independence for pre teens and teens. This simple right of passage can be missed for teens who struggle with reading or have difficulty with multi step tasks. Picture supported cookbooks can help users with limited reading abilities prepare simple meals and snacks.  The Stepwise Cookbook series takes this concept a step further and truly simplifies the process.  Each cookbook has a set of picture supported recipes that are presented in a simplified, easy to follow format.
Schkidules visual schedule display
SchKIDules
White shoe with white elastic shoelace a low tech solution for independence with self care
Elastic Shoe Laces
stepwise cookbooks
Stepwise Cookbooks

Small modifications and the use of mid to low tech assistive technology can be a powerful tool for independence.  Be sure to visit to assistive technology section of Therapro’s website to see all of the available tools!