Nov. 8, 2025
Hope for Handwriting
A program developed through the Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, offers handwriting support to children to build fine motor skills and confidence.
Designs on Aging-Ready
By Parmitha Chanduri
Every week at the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Center in the Homewood neighborhood, kids scratch away with pen and paper with Pitt occupational therapy (OT) students at their side.
In an era dominated by digital communication, handwriting remains a critical foundational skill—especially for young learners. Hope for Handwriting, a program developed through the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences’ Department of Occupational Therapy, offers handwriting support to children through one-on-one sessions.
“Handwriting is often the entry point. It allows us to address a child’s fine motor coordination, attention and even emotional regulation—all essential for academic success.”
Kelsey Voltz-Poremba, assistant professor of occupational therapy
Each child is paired with an OT student who tailors exercises for them. Participants in the program frequently show significant gains in both skill and confidence.
“We had one student who was struggling to sit down long enough to write a sentence,” says Kelsey Voltz-Poremba, assistant professor of occupational therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, and the program’s coordinator. “By the end, he was writing at the same level as his peers at school, with higher abilities to focus and greater levels of confidence.”
“Handwriting is often the entry point,” says Voltz-Poremba. “It allows us to address a child’s fine motor coordination, attention and even emotional regulation—all essential for academic success.”
At the same time, OT students benefit from hands-on experience, learning to assess, adapt and build rapport with young clients.
“This is where our students see what occupational therapy can do outside the classroom,” Voltz-Poremba says. With growing community interest and a waitlist already in place, the program is exploring future expansion.
Hope for Handwriting is one of a number of health programs staffed by Pitt faculty members and students at Pitt’s Community Engagement Center in the Homewood neighborhood.