Brandi’s passion for handwriting tutoring comes from her own observations working in schools as an occupational therapist. She saw firsthand how many children became frustrated, avoided assignments, or lost confidence because of messy or difficult handwriting.

“I wanted to use my expertise as an OT to help children even more,” she shared. “Handwriting should not cause stress or tears — it should empower them.”

Beyond messy handwriting, Brandi frequently encounters strong emotional responses — frustration, avoidance, and even tears during homework. These challenges can turn evenings into battles and impact a child’s overall confidence in school.

Unlike traditional tutoring programs, Brandi brings her full background as a pediatric occupational therapist. She conducts thorough assessments that look at fine motor skills, visual-motor integration, and reflex integration — areas often overlooked but critical for successful handwriting.

“I have the skill set to dig deeper into the ‘why’ behind handwriting challenges,” she explained. “Most programs don’t have access to a handwriting specialist with this training.”

One of Brandi’s proudest moments came when she worked with a student who had struggled with handwriting for years. After identifying underlying visual processing challenges, she recommended the family see a developmental optometrist. The improvement was dramatic.

“The family said, ‘Brandi, where were you all along!’” she recalled. “It was incredibly rewarding to see the child gain confidence and finally feel successful.”

Brandi sees students from Cranberry Township and across the North and West Hills, often meeting families at local libraries. She’s currently offering individual tutoring sessions this spring and summer, along with two small group programs: a Kindergarten Readiness group and a Handwriting Legibility Boost group for grades 1 and up.

Brandi wants more parents to know that messy handwriting doesn’t mean a child is lazy or not smart enough.

“A child with messy handwriting often just needs a different approach,” she said. “With individualized lessons, explicit instruction, and multi-sensory activities, we can make handwriting fun and help them build real confidence.”

Her Guiding Philosophy:

“My biggest goal is to make handwriting fun and exciting for children. I want them to understand they are capable of doing hard things and that together, we can make it enjoyable.”

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Website: happywriterspittsburgh.com

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Happy Writers Pittsburgh offers expert, compassionate support to help children become confident, capable writers, one foundational skill at a time.