Frequently Asked Questions

Why should I choose to use Foundations For Learning?

If your teeth needed straightening, then you would use an orthodontist rather than a dentist. If you had injured your knee when you were exercising, then you would use a sports physiotherapist rather than a respiratory physiotherapist. Foundations For Learning provides professional experience and academic knowledge in the areas of handwriting, keyboarding, literacy, fine motor skills pre-requisites for written communication, and organisational skills. These domains have been identified as important for written success and we prefer to offer a specialist service in our identified areas of expertise rather than to provide a generalist service across many different fields.

Other therapists come to my child’s house or school setting.  Why would we come to your practice in Halls Head?

The simple answer is that all the equipment and resources that I may need in a session would not fit in the boot of my car!

 In my rooms I have everything at hand and am able to easily adapt a session depending on the child’s need or progress. In addition I can provide a quiet structured environment for the child to learn and often this is not possible in a busy classroom or family home. It also removes the extra attention being publicly drawn to a child already experiencing difficulties and allows them to ask questions or make mistakes without the observation of their peers or siblings. 

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Foundations for Learning also offers the opportunity for me to come to you. I offer a flexible, mobile service operating between Perth and Bunbury.

Why do we need to handwrite when our kids are using laptops and iPads in class?

I think that we owe it to our children to teach them to both handwrite and touch-type efficiently. In the early years of schooling, handwriting is linked to learning to read and spell. The fine motor skills for handwriting can also be generalised to other fine motor demands such as using a knife, fork and spoon, using a toothbrush, tying shoelaces, etc. There will also be times when a computer cannot provide a hardcopy version and a handwritten copy is required. Filling in forms, taking messages and signing documents require handwriting proficiency. Recent research has shown that the initial draft is more creative when handwritten but the revising and editing is better with the computer.

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However, for both higher education and for future employment it is important that children can quickly and efficiently type using more than two fingers! Finally, the demise of handwriting was initially predicted when the manual typewriter was invented but we are still handwriting today and this reinforces the need for both handwriting and keyboarding.

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My child has a strange pencil grip. Is it too late to change it?

The older the child, the more established is the pencil grip and the more difficult to change it.  The main reason to change the grip is whether it is adversely affecting your child’s handwriting or is causing pain or discomfort.  We have had success in changing pencil grip by explaining how and why it can be changed and giving continuous and immediate feedback during sessions. However, it is the continued reinforcement and practice at home and school that really make the change permanent.

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Do you teach cursive?

Yes!  It is taught as a part of the Foundations for Handwriting program.  It is an easy transision and can be personalised for each writer's unique style, if required.