Blog – Real OT Solutions

“I have been introducing your program in two K classrooms this year and myself as well as the teachers are really LOVING it!! It’s fantastic to our students catching on to size concepts and make great progress!!”

"This is a phenomenal program - one that I have seen great results. If you have a motivated 9th grader - then I’d definitely use size matters. I use it for ALL of my kids and have seen a noticeable difference within a few weeks of using it in even 3rd and 4th graders!"

"Bev tailored the information to her audience. She provided a lot of common sense solutions to common classroom/school “OT issues.” Bev gave many simple-to-do activities to enhance an OT’s value to the team, simple activities to incorporate in the classroom to support the teacher and the child in their education goals. Fun and entertaining on top of informative!"

I finally got my school to get me Beverly Moskowitz’s size matters program. I’ve been using as an RTI intervention for a 3rd grader I tested. All OT testing was average to above average. Yet his writing was nearly illegible. I truly thought he was dysgraphic. The difference with SMH program has been AMAZING!!! In less than a month his writing is legible!!! Teacher has him practice 5 min. A day and parents are practicing a bit at home. NEVER in my 25 years as an OT have I seen such quick progress!!! I’m totally sold!! You can start it with very little.

"So today, all recharged from POTA, I decided to try out my new Size Matters handwriting techniques. I was a little skeptical because the class I wanted to pilot with is soooo low (they are a disabled kindergarten class and only had substitute teachers last year, not being able to find a full time teacher). They are so behind with letter skills, number skills, coloring, cutting, and just basic knowledge they should be demonstrating. Its frustrating for the new teacher to determine where to start. She’s great and very open minded so always asking for my opinion on what to do. I haven’t fully read your manual yet, but I remember your three rules during the presentation for capital letters (we used it for numbers today too), “don’t go above the line, don’t go below the line, NO FLOATING (wiggle hand movements included)!” The kids LOVE the song by the way, and all they want to do is get star worthy letters/numbers! I WAS SHOCKED! THEY PICKED UP ON IT SOOO FAST!!! I’m hooked! Today I just did it with some of my kids adapting as needed (tracing my lines, making the lower line thicker), they all did so great with it! They were even self correcting, and erasing without me telling them they needed to be fixed! AMAZING!"

"Beverly is a warm, wise, nurturing, effusive and funny presenter. She and her materials were highly organized, practical and meaningful. I’m highly appreciative of all the materials provided and Beverly’s generosity. As a seasoned school OTR, I felt validated and inspired. This course should be required for all entry level school-based OTRs. Thank you Bev for making me proud to be an OT!"

Bev tailored the information to her audience. She gave simple To Do activities to enhance an OT’s value to the team, simple activities to incorporate in the classroom. Fun and entertaining on top of informative!

"I took your course in Newburgh this past Monday and have been implementing strategies all week!!! The next day in my handwriting groups I told the kids to "touch" their lines and their printing was so much neater. One of my students came back with his handwriting homework the next day and said that his parents couldn't believe that it was his writing!!"

"Beverly, I just want you to know that I am using the paper, playing the dice game, talking about the size of the letters, and scoring their writing pages!!!! They all love it and I have seen changes already!!!!! 
 Thank you for such an awesome program!!!!"

"Absolutely size matters! Simple, fun, effective! Fast results and so easy to embed during school day. Learn 3 rules for letter size instead of 62 rules on how to form letters! Program designed around idea of focusing on letter and number size and form will follow! Thanks Bev for an amazing handwriting program!"

"I just have to tell you, I've been using parts of the program for the last week with most of my students in Occupational Therapy Services. I have the biggest smile and feel like jumping for JOY when I write my notes. Most of my students can pick up on the easy/fun instructions. Almost all the letter spacing has improved with Spaghetti and Meatballs. Almost all the letter size has improved with the Size Numbering 1,2,3. IT'S A MIRACLE. Thanks a MILLION."

"Earlier this year I wrote to you about a kindergarten teacher who didn't believe kindergarten students were developmentally ready/able to print on lined paper. I implemented some of your advice and wanted to share with you what happened. That teacher quite readily agreed to let me start teaching a weekly handwriting lesson with her class. Soon she began to notice handwriting was improving and the students were remembering and using the rules even when I wasn't there. She reported a student was erasing a letter in a word that was otherwise spelled correctly. When she questioned why, he replied "Because it's floating". Hooray!!! My lessons happened to come up in conversation with kindergarten teacher #2 who indicated that she'd like to have me give lessons in her class as well. She also reports carry over into classroom assignments and has become quite the fan. Kindergarten teacher #3 stopped me in the hallway to ask what I was doing in the other classes that they were raving about and could I come to her class too! I participate in a professional learning community with these 3 teachers and an instructional coach. I brought the written language production guide and some of the Size Matters research to my group and gave an overview of each. They all asked for copies and the coach was going to share some of it with other grade levels, particularly the written language production guide. Happily they noticed how Size Matters directly addresses the standards. This school will likely only have 2 kindergarten classes next year, but both have already told me how beneficial the lessons have been and that they would like me to start on the first week in the fall. I thought that was the best compliment of all! I love making a difference with a larger group of kids. Teachers and my principal have really noticed my contributions and value what I have to offer. I also appreciate getting to have eyes on all of the kindergarten students to help identify who might need a referral for further evaluation. Thanks so much for all of your help!"

"I took your Practical Strategies for Improving the Effectiveness, Efficiency and Impact of Your School-Based OT Services course last spring when you were in Columbia, SC. In 17 years of being an OT, I have never taken a course and had so much immediate, practical information to use when I got home. I incorporated much of the SMHP strategies into my treatments last spring and saw much faster results than previously."

"The SMHP is the first program I have implemented that the kids are actually EXCITED to try and practice making letters. Teachers pick up on the terminology quickly and generally I find they are supportive to use consistent language etc... As a therapist it’s the first handwriting program that I have ever been passionate about! Highly recommend to all...thank you Beverly Moskowitz!!"

"Having so many years in practice, I frequently am disappointed....having learned nothing new. But your seminar was amazing. Next to the Ayres workshop I went to a zillion years ago, yours was the best!"

"I have used the SMHP during last school year and I love it! And most importantly the kids love it! I have had so much success with this program with all of my kids, but one in particular comes to mind. I had tried everything from different paper to grips with no success. The very first time I introduced this to them most of their letters were inside the boxes."

"I use the SMHP in Madison County Schools in Georgia. In many cases results are seen within just one or two sessions. Parents like the easy application as well. And my students like the Dice Game and the adaptations."

"I have positive feelings about implementing and trying to get some teachers if not some of my contracted districts on board with Size Matters. I am completely impressed with your energy. I so appreciate those that make therapy Fun! I also love the succinct and streamlined way your program is set up. It is also incredibly valuable to be able to use it in conjunction with a classroom curriculum. I am looking forward to sitting down with my COTA’s next week and putting an order together. I agree COTA’s are our right hands."

"I only went to the SMHP workshop last week and I’m already getting impressed teachers wanting to know more!!! I cannot tell you how slack-jawed the teachers are. The kids will exclaim, “That’s beautiful!” after they’re done. And when we get back to class… oh… they used to just stuff their worksheets in a cubby and one along. But now we have to practice waiting our turn to show their teachers. I’ve never seen them so proud of themselves."

"Awesome! I used the basis of the Size Matters Handwriting Program for my son when he started kindergarten. We had already used HWT for learning lines and mat man. The school had high expectations but very litte training for handwriting for students and he was quickly picking up bad habits. We literally spent 5 minutes a day practicing with the SMHP letter rules, looking fo star-worthy letters in his work, et. The difference was amazing! SMHP is truly great! Thank you!"

"I attended the conference for school based therapists last March and implemented the Size Matters program (well the parts I could) with a few of the kids I see and I have already seen such improvement when they are with me!"

"This is a phenomenal program - one that I have seen great results. If you have a motivated 9th grader - then I’d definitely use size matters. I use it for ALL of my kids and have seen a noticeable difference within a few weeks of using it in even 3rd and 4th graders!"

I just wanted to say what an excellent conference you did yesterday in New Rochelle. I was lucky enough to have been in attendance. The take-aways were extremely user-friendly and able to be put into place right away. I tried putting the construction paper under the sheet of paper and it did allow my student to have more control when coloring in a shape. I found the sensory break ideas that we did as a group useful and even tried some of those today. I look forward to sharing the articles with my team related to workload vs. caseload as it has been a hot topic recently.

I just wanted to let you know that I tried the "size 1, 2, 3 letter" strategies with my group this morning and I saw more improvement in one session than I have seen all year! The kids GOT IT. They understood it, it made sense to them, and they were SELF CORRECTING their work!! I am sooo happy and grateful for the opportunity to attend your seminar and utilize some of the strategies that you gave us, so thank you for that!

I have gone to the HWT conference. I honestly had a difficulty getting carryover. So I decided to look into size matters handwriting program. I just completed the SMHP certification. I have tried both programs and by far I am seeing that the children love the SMHP techniques with instant results with just one session. Plus the research shows true carryover with SMHP.

Having so many years in practice, I frequently am disappointed....having learned nothing new. But your seminar was amazing. Next to the Ayres workshop I went to a zillion years ago, yours was the best!

Absolutely size matters! Simple, fun, effective! Fast results and so easy to embed during school day. Learn 3 rules for letter size instead of 62 rules on how to form letters! Program designed around idea of focusing on letter and number size and form will follow! Thanks Bev for an amazing handwriting program!

I had heard of the Size Matters Handwriting program just prior to the AOTA conference in Chicago this past spring. I was able to speak with you at the conference, purchase a manual, and watch some YouTube videos. I recently purchased your self-study webinar series and am excited to learn more. Here's why, please see the attachments. I work in the public schools. I decided to use the program with one student following the AOTA conference. The attachments are the work of that student, who is now in first grade. The concepts clicked for him this week and the results are dramatic! The papers are copies of his spelling tests that were given in the classroom, I was not present. They are one week apart. I have been waiting for a moment like this for over 25 years! I just wanted to share some really fantastic results!

I took Beverly's Time saving course in January and used her school strategies when I returned from work. My students loved rolling dice and their letter formation improved. They were slowing down and motivated to "touch the line" correctly". One student in particular made tremendous gains. I switched school districts in April and this student who was a first grader had notes from the former OT stating to the teacher that his handwriting had not improved all year and she was very concerned. I started rolling dice with this student and he loved it. His teacher started showing me legible journal entries. His mom was also so relieved and proud of him.

I was able to convince the Yeshiva elementary schools that I work in to switch to triple lined writing paper for younger grades and to use Size Matters concepts. Everyone has been excited with the results. I wanted to share that with you and thank you!!