Evidence for Pre-printing Interventions: A Scoping Review

Abstract

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.