An OT Guide for Assessing Children Ages 3 and Up
written by Marie Frank, OTR/L & Amy Wing, OTR/L, illustrated by Kate Badger
I had heard good things about this fine-motor
assessment and with a name like “Schoodles” I had to check it out. The publisher
kindly sent a copy of the evaluation for my review.
I have always been a big believer in detailed evaluation
narratives packed with clinical observations, with minimal focus on test scores.
I have found that standardized test scores do not always accurately reflect the
student’s classroom abilities and needs- afterall, sometimes students who would benefit
from OT services score in the average range on standardized tests. On the other
hand, sometimes students who score in the below average range on select fine-
motor or visual perceptual subtests have adequate foundational skills, but may benefit
from classroom adaptations (such as alphabet models to copy or color-coded
paper) rather than direct OT services.
What
Schoodles Assesses
The Schoodles Fine-Motor Assessment provides a
framework for occupational therapists who want to quickly screen or evaluate
school-aged children (ages 3 years and up) for these basic classroom skills:
·
Pencil grasp
·
Design and letter imitation and copying
·
Drawing a person
·
Coloring
·
Visual skills
·
Muscle tone, strength and postural
control
·
Sensory processing ( tactile discrimination,
body awareness, left/right awareness)
·
Self-care (i.e. dressing, feeding skills)
Additional standardized testing may be warranted but
starting out with the Schoodles enables the therapist to quickly assess whether
some classroom adaptations (such as positioning or strengthening activities)
can increase skill acquisition. At the same time, the evaluator can detect what
underlying problems are impacting function (i.e. decreased muscle tone, visual
skills, motor planning etc.).
What
I like about Schoodles
My favorite aspect of this tool is that the therapist
scaffolds during the evaluation process. This means that she looks at a skill
deficit and increases support to achieve it. For example, if a student is unable
to copy a shape, the evaluator can try:
·
drawing the shape so that the student
can form it from imitation
·
asking the student to trace over a shape
Then the narrative can include details of the
student’s abilities when given the additional supports and describe possible OT
objectives that would address the skill.
Who
Should Use Schoodles
I think that the Schoodles is an ideal resource for
therapists who are relatively new to working in school systems because it guides
the therapist in making clinical observations and address questions such as
·
why is the student switching hands
during writing?
·
why is the student writing too rapidly with
poor quality? or
·
are impairments in visual pursuit
impacting performance?
Schoodles focuses on comparing the student with
others in the same grade to determine
reasonable skill expectations. The authors also use well documented resources (i.e.
Beery’s Visual Motor Integration evaluation, Peabody Motor Scales and Hawaii
Early Learning Profile) to provide ages children typically develop fine and
gross motor skills. The evaluator can then refer to this data in the narrative
when describing the student’s abilities or needs.
The
Schoodles Package
Schoodles comes in a 3 ring binder with a zippered pouch
to hold easy to find evaluation supplies:
·
scissors (regular and loop)
·
3 crayons
·
A pencil
·
A pen
·
A small rubber mat for the provided puzzles
·
A scarf or tissues
The assessment is divided into two groups of skills.
The first consists of skills such as writing, cutting and completing puzzles
that are easily observable in any classroom. The workbook portion provides reproducible
tasks to perform these skills. The second group of activities address supporting skills (also known as
sensory integration clinical observation skills) such as
·
visual tracking
·
muscle strength
·
right/left discrimination
·
graphesthesia/tactile processing
·
finger touching
·
bilateral coordination and balance (i.e.
jumping, hops, gallops, skips, jumping jacks)
All of the classroom and supporting skills are also
listed in an easy to use chart that includes a description of the skill, observation
guidelines and approximate age of skill attainment.
I have to add that after reading the Schoodles
manual I marveled at how all of the assessed skills are described in my book
From Rattles to Writing: A Parent’s Guide to Hand Skills. My book compliments
the Schoodles assessment tool by
providing the detailed activities and teaching strategies that develop the sensory
motor foundations required for reading and writing. Both Schoodles and From Rattles to Writing are
available to purchase at Therapro. Inc. and Schoodles is sold through the Schoodles.com website where you will also find a sample evaluation and answers to frequently
asked questions.
It is estimated that the Schoodles can be
administered in 30-45 minutes and sometimes in as little as 20 minutes. A quick,
efficient and reasonably priced assessment tool($65.00 for a printed version, $55.00 for a CD)-
what’s not to like?
6 comments:
Thanks for this. I have been curious about Schoodles.
You're welcome, it was fun to check out.....
I'd like to learn more about how this assessment is scored. Any more information would be helpful. Thanks!
No education is necessarily easy, but knowing what to expect and how to go about it all will make the process as smooth, hassle-free and hopefully successful as possible. Read this for the details.
I would also like to learn more about how this assessment is scored. Thank you in advance!
What a refreshing perspective on assessing children's fine motor skills! It's so true that standardized tests don't always capture the full picture. As an occupational therapist, I've seen firsthand how detailed evaluations and clinical observations provide a deeper understanding of a child's needs. When it comes to getting an occupational therapy assessment in Tasmania, it's essential to seek out professionals who prioritize holistic assessments and tailor interventions to each child's unique strengths and challenges.
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