The Irony of My Poor Fine Motor Skills

Being My Own OT: Accommodations, Adaptations & Skill-Building

This is my first ever blog… and truthfully, I’ve struggled with what to write. I thought I’d start with creativity (one of our Embrace the Rain values and a topic I’m passionate about), but instead, this is what came out.

I wouldn’t say writing has ever come easily to me. Since third grade, I’ve been lightly made fun of for my “weird” pencil grasp. Writing with pen and paper has always been slow, I press too hard, and my hand tires quickly. My printing is neat—if I take my time—but it gets big and messy as soon as I need to be fast. In high school and university, I mostly wrote in cursive because it was quicker and had a more natural, rhythmic flow that just felt better. So yes, I’m one of those people who still wishes handwriting was taught in schools. (Maybe it is? If you’re an elementary teacher—let me know! 😉)

University also introduced me to the joys of technology—but with it came a new challenge: typing. My early experiences with typing were rough (anyone remember Mavis Beacon?!). I never really learned proper technique, so I still “chicken peck” with a few fingers. My husband teases me about it. But I’m fast…ish. It works. That said, in the past year and a half, I’ve developed increasing hand and arm pain, which has made even typing more difficult.

And here’s the irony: I’m an OT. People often think of OTs as “handwriting teachers” or at least fine motor experts. And sure, I’d call myself the latter. But I’ve never been excited about working directly on handwriting goals—and now you probably understand why. Thankfully, other amazing OTs on our team are much better suited to support those goals!

Over the past year and a half, I’ve had to be my own OT.

I’ve made my own accommodations: using voice-to-text and sending audio messages instead of typing. I’ve adapted my work by hiring an amazing admin (shoutout to Teri!) who takes on a lot of the fine motor-heavy tasks. I also shifted away from driving to clients’ homes and now work from home and the ranch—a change that’s helped a lot with physical pain and fatigue after years of home visits.

And I’ve been building skills too—working on strength, reducing stress (nature and dance have helped the most!), and this fall I’m planning to start some intentional resistance training to help manage pain and improve fine motor capacity for the busy season ahead.

What I love most about OT is this: even with my own pain, awkwardness, and fine motor limitations, there is so much hope—with accommodations, adaptations, and skill-building. And that hope isn’t just for me—it’s for you, your family, and your child too. 💛

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