OBJECTIVE. This study compared the participation in activities outside of formal school among Jewish and Druze Israeli children. It also examined the impact of gender and the interaction of culture and gender on participation. METHODS. Participants included 30 Jewish and 30 Druze children ages 8–10 years, who completed the Children’s Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE). RESULTS. On most of the scales measured, the Jewish children showed a significantly higher participation level than the Druze children, and the Druze children performed more activities alone. The Jewish children demonstrated a higher enjoyment level than the Druze children on half of the scales. Some scales revealed higher participation by girls than by boys as well as a significant cultural group by gender interaction. CONCLUSION. Culture may have an impact on children’s level of participation in the community. The CAPE was found to be a sensitive tool in elucidating differences between the Druze and Jewish children in community participation.

OBJECTIVE. Children with fine-motor problems and handwriting difficulties often are referred for occupational therapy. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of a short-term treatment on the fine-motor and graphomotor skills of first-grade students. METHOD. We recruited 52 first-grade students who had scored below the 21st percentile on the Visual–Motor Integration test from schools in a city with a low socioeconomic, mixed (Arab and Jewish) population. The children were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group. Before and after the intervention, we administered two tests to both groups. RESULTS. Students in the intervention group made significant gains both in the total score on the graphomotor test (Developmental Test of Visual Perception) and on the fine-motor test (Bruininks–Oseretsky Motor Development Scale). CONCLUSION. This study provided preliminary evidence of the efficacy of a short-term graphomotor intervention. The results increased the feasibility of implementing occupational therapy intervention in the Israeli school system, allowing treatment of more children using the same resources.