Evidence for Pre-printing Interventions: A Scoping Review

ABSTRACT

An integral part of occupational therapy practice in early intervention involves assessment and treatment of pre-printing challenges and determination of printing readiness; however, the evidence to inform best practice has not been thoroughly investigated. This paper is part of a larger scoping review that focused on theoretical frameworks for printing readiness and evidence for pre-printing development and skills. This companion paper undertook a critical evaluation of pre-printing interventions and programs, based on a new proposed integrated theoretical framework outlined in Klein et al. (2021, same issue). Of the 98 articles included in the scoping review, 12 were intervention-based studies. Most of these intervention studies were rated at a low level of evidence and often utilized a bottom-up approach for intervention, which is maligned with current best practice principles. Direct task-based learning is considered best practice for handwriting interventions; however, there is a paucity of research studies at higher levels of evidence that evaluate this approach for pre-printing intervention. Commercially available pre-printing programs that incorporate tenets of an integrated theoretical framework for printing readiness exist; however, there is a gap in the literature evaluating their effectiveness. Empirically evaluated pre-printing interventions and programs that are rooted in an integrated approach are needed, drawing on principles from emergent literacy and neurodevelopmental frameworks, embracing top-down, task-based learning. Development and use of these programs in early intervention will facilitate collaborative partnerships between occupational therapists, educators, and parents for developmentally appropriate pre-printing intervention that fit within curriculum expectations. As so few evidence-based pre-printing programs exist, once developed, there will be a critical need to research their effectiveness.

KEYWORDS:

• Preschool
• occupational therapy
• handwriting
• child development
• school health services

Acknowledgments

Erin Klein is supported by Faculty of Medicine Graduate Student Awards from the University of British Columbia. Dr. Zwicker is supported by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Sunny Hill Foundation for Children, and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

We thank Greg Klein for the graphic design of the integrated model.

Declaration of Interest

The authors declare that there are no potential conflict of interests.

Additional information

Funding

Dr. Zwicker was supported by the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute; Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program [Career Development/Enhancement Award]; Canadian Institutes of Health Research [FDN-333586, New Investigator Award 201512MSH-360883-141638]; Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research [Scholar Award #5762]; Sunny Hill Foundation for Children.