ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to indicate specific interventions that can be made to address an individual's emotional needs while integrating a strength-based approach. It discusses specific concerns and interventions regarding graphomotor skills and processing speed as they relate to academic and social/emotional development. While there are a number of different dimensions to the development of visual motor functioning, the chapter focuses on those that most directly pertain to skills encountered in the preschool and school environments. Once a child's strengths and vulnerabilities in graphomotor skills and processing speed have been identified, accommodations can be put in place and interventions can be made. Individualizing the accommodation or intervention is important. Studies have drawn direct connections between Visual-Motor Integration (VMI) development and performance in math and written expression. Several games and toys naturally promote the development of VMI skills. There are a variety of ways in which graphomotor development impacts academic performance.
