Book Donation to Resource Library in Madagascar

To help improve the quality of life via therapeutic services in Madagascar, the Loving Healing Press is donating copies of its title Handwriting For Heroes – a task-oriented workbook to help people learn to write with their non-dominant hand.- Loving Healing Press Making Book Donation to Resource Library in Madagascar

The non-profit Growing the Nations Therapy Programmes (GNTP) is currently focusing on helping vulnerable, poverty-stricken people in Madagascar, one of the poorest countries in the world, by providing them therapeutic services. Establishing a resource library for occupational therapists to work with the affected people in the area is a key requirement for this purpose.

Anri-Louise Oosthuizen is the founder of Growing the Nations Therapy Programmes (GNTP) as well as the Occupational Therapist (OT) that started the profession in Madagascar. It is by her position as an OT professor at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar that she came to know of Handwriting For Heroes.

“I am the only occupational therapy lecturer in Madagascar,” Oosthuizen tells. “A few weeks ago a new graduate came to ask me how to retrain dominance post-head injury. I could not give her a good answer, and in my internet search I found this program.” She says she would love to include it in the curriculum.

Although Handwriting For Heroes is designed to work best in conjunction with a formal course of Occupational Therapy, it can also be used solo by a motivated learner.

“The advantage of working with an OT, is that they can answer questions, help set expectations, and evaluate progress in a way that self-study can’t achieve,” says Victor Volkman, publisher at the Loving Healing Press.

About the Authors

Katie Yancosek is an officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. Among many qualifications, she holds a PhD in rehabilitation sciences from the University of Kentucky.

Kristin Gulick has been enjoying her practice as an occupational therapist for more than 25 years. In the past, Kristin served as the Director of Therapy Services at Advanced Arm Dynamics, where she enjoyed working with clients with upper limb loss in their rehabilitation process.

Amanda Sammons is an officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. She graduated from Baylor University with a Doctor of Science degree in Occupational Therapy.

Evaluation Copy Requests

Interested Occupational Therapists worldwide may request a complimentary evaluation copy of Handwriting For Heroes to see if it is appropriate for their clientele by writing to info@LHPress.com.

Positive Psychology and Rehab

New: Positive Psychology Exercises in H4H 3rd Edition

Handwriting for Heroes, 3rd Edition
Handwriting for Heroes, 3rd Edition

In addition to the ‘Daily Dozen’ exercises, the 3rd edition of Handwriting for Heroes includes a special ‘Baker’s Dozen’ created by Dr. Amanda Sammons, an Army occupational therapist. This newly developed section helps you cultivate a positive attitude and “MIGHTY Mindset” throughout your course of recovery and handwriting skill development. Edward George Bulwer Lytton said, “The pen is mightier than the sword”. Writing is a very powerful tool, and gains more strength when coupled with a positive attitude to influence the thoughts behind your writing. The ‘Baker’s Dozen’ offers positive psychology exercises to promote optimism and resiliency in your daily life. One of the primary aims of positive psychology is to help people to discover, explore, and improve on their personal strengths. This can be done through a variety of deliberate exercises to train your brain to attend more to your positive experiences and focus less on the negative ones. Throughout this program you will complete a positive psychology exercise each day.

The word MIGHTY is used as a mnemonic to help you remember each of the positive psychology exercises that you will learn during your journey to change hand dominance.

M: Mindfulness
I: Improve your signature strengths
G: Gratitude
H: Happiness advantage
T: Three good things
Y: You at your best

Each week focuses on a different aspect of positive psychology. Apply each to your day-to-day life regardless of where you are in the process of changing your hand dominance. In fact, these exercises should become part of your daily routine for you to continually cultivate a positive attitude and mighty mindset.

We welcome your feedback at www.handwritingforheroes.com – Kristin, Katie, and Amanda

 

 

Relearning print writing – new for 3rd Edition!

Cursive writing is easier than printing from motor and perceptual standpoints. Learning cursive writing also diminishes the challenge of having even spaces between printed letters. However, many have requested that the 3rd edition include instructions and visual demonstrations on PRINT writing. We have answered your request. To keep the workbook a reasonable length, we have placed both a print and cursive example at the top of each exercise page. Please feel free to do both or select the type/style of writing you wish to master and stick to it. Where space was limited, we placed the print example in parenthesis.

Handwriting for Heroes unique side-by-side approach for print and cursive retraining.
Handwriting for Heroes unique side-by-side approach for print and cursive retraining.

We welcome your feedback at www.handwritingforheroes.com – Kristin, Katie, and Amanda

Meet Amanda Sammons – our newest collaborator on Handwriting for Heroes

Amanda_Sammons_400Amanda Sammons is an officer in the Army Medical Specialist Corps. She graduated from West Virginia University with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in athletic training, from Shenandoah University with a Master’s of Science degree in occupational therapy, and from Baylor University with a Doctor of Science degree in occupational therapy. She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas with her husband.

Amanada’s contributions to Handwriting for Heroes: Learn to Write with your Non-Dominant Hand in Six Weeks, 3rd Edition include positive psychology exercises.  Her ‘Baker’s Dozen’ offers positive psychology exercises to promote optimism and resiliency in your daily life. One of the primary aims of positive psychology is to help people to discover, explore, and improve on their personal strengths. This can be done through a variety of deliberate exercises to train your brain to attend more to your positive experiences and focus less on the negative ones.

We’ll be exploring more about the positive psychology exercises in the coming weeks running up to the release of the new and expanded 3rd Edition.

New Revised Edition!

This revised edition of Handwriting For Heroes reflects the growth of the handwriting program based on research and feedback of many “heroes” who have taken the time to complete the workbook and send us wisdom from their experience.  As always, you can order this edition directly from the publisher, Amazon.com, or other fine e-tailers.

The following represent the major revisions of this edition:

  1. Added weekly handwriting goals: this is an important improvement because it empowers self-reflection and goal-setting, both of which are necessary in any long-lasting behavioral change
  2. Added Daily Speed Assessment: allows the learner to record his/her time to complete the Daily Dozen (the 12 main exercises). Speed is only one component of performance, but is easy to chart over time. An instruction to select and **star** the writing sample of highest quality encourages self-appraisal.
  3. Added a Self-Perception Questionnaire on Handwriting Ability: a 5-question instrument used as a pre– and post-test to the program. Whether working with a therapist or solo, the questionnaire is a great tool to evaluate the three main components: readability, speed (efficiency) and appearance.
  4. Added optional Letters-per-Minute Self-Assessment: allows learner to chart his/her writing performance and compare it to a set of normative values. Please visit our website www.HandwritingForHeroes.com to share your own scores!
  5. Added Weekly Compliance Score: allows therapists to gauge how much of the program is being completed in aid of developing realistic goals for therapy. It may also provide insight into the learner’s motivation and tolerance for handwriting activities.

In the wisdom of the Chinese proverb about “a journey of a thousand miles starting with a single step,” we need only begin!

We sincerely hope you enjoy this updated version of Handwriting For Heroes

—Kristin and Katie

 

Injury-induced Hand Dominance Transfer, One- Handed ADLs, and Fine Motor Control in Functional Tasks

You are invited to a special presentation!

Injury-induced Hand Dominance Transfer, One- Handed ADLs, and Fine Motor Control in Functional Tasks

When: May 28th, 2009
Time: 4:30 – 5:30
Where: Hardin Memorial Hospital Conference Room
                  913 North Dixie Avenue
                  Elizabethtown, KY 42701 

Presented by: Katie Yancosek, co-author of Handwriting for Heroes

Hosted by: Hardin Memorial Hospital and Ireland Army Community Hospital, Fort Knox, KY

For questions, please contact Lauri Duesler or Tiffany McIntyre at (502) 624-9905

Press Release

Revolutionary Workbook Teaches Writing With Non-Dominant Hand

Damage to the dominant hand need not limit one’s ability. “Handwriting for Heroes,” a new workbook that teaches people to write with their non-dominant hands, offers self-esteem, hope and a return to normalcy.

Ann Arbor, MI (PRWEB) February 23, 2009 — Loss of a dominant hand can be frustrating, but life can largely return to normal by following the advice and processes presented in Katie Yancosek and Kristin Gulick’s new workbook “Handwriting for Heroes: Learn to Write with Your Non-Dominant Hand in Six Weeks” (ISBN 9781932690699, Loving Healing Press, 2009).

A person’s ability to communicate, even his identity, is largely connected to the ability to write or even just sign his name. The loss of a dominant hand can be traumatic and depressing. Until recently, learning to write with the non-dominant hand could be frustrating, and it meant studying a children’s workbook. Now “Handwriting for Heroes” targets the adult who must “re-learn” the basics of handwriting, offering dignity in the process. Continue reading Press Release