CanChild has a research based, informative hand out for school staff and parents on whether children with coordination problems should learn how to use a word processor or continue to focus on handwriting. It answers questions such as: Why should children with DCD use a computer or word processor? Does keyboarding mean we are giving […]
I read about this handwriting font that you can create for free over at the iLearn Technology blog.Basically, PilotHandwriting will generate a font for you to type based on your own handwriting. It is very simple to do. Go to PilotHandwriting. Watch the video and print out the template. Write in all the letters. I […]
Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics published research on the relationships between fine-motor, visual-motor, and visual perception scores and handwriting legibility and speed. Klein et. al. evaluated 99 third through sixth graders with learning or behavioral problems. Each child was assessed with the following: Upper-Limb Speed and Dexterity Subtest of the Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor […]
Pediatric Physical Therapy published interesting research comparing 8 children with proficient handwriting and 8 children with non proficient handwriting. All of the children did not have a history of motor or cognitive issues. Each child was tested for kinesthetic sensitivity, discriminate tactile awareness, diadochokinesia, stereognosis, and graphesthesia. Following statistical analysis, the two groups did show […]
Zaner–Bloser is hosting a national handwriting contest where your school can win prizes totaling $100,000. The students who enter the contest must be Zaner–Bloser handwriting users only. This would be a great idea to promote legible handwriting in your school district. Go to their website to view all the details at Zaner–Bloser. If your students […]
Here are two iPhone apps that I have tested out for letter formation. Either of these could be used as fun tools to encourage kinesthetic practice of letter formation. The first I tested was Letter Tracer. This app was $0.99 when I purchased it. I really liked the simplicity of Letter Tracer. The letter is […]
National Handwriting Day is January 23rd each year. This date honors John Hancock who is well known for his signature on the Declaration of Independence. Here are some suggested ideas to celebrate the day with your children or students. 1. Bake a cake to celebrate John Hancock’s birthday. Following a recipe, measuring, mixing and stirring […]
If the classrooms that you work in have an interactive whiteboard check out this cool free program entitled Sky Writer. You just click on the letter and the plane makes each letter in the air. The children can trace along with their fingers. It is also a fun visual for the child to see how […]
I came across a comprehensive website for evaluating a student’s needs for writing. The Montgomery County Public Schools of Rockville, MD has developed a Written Productivity Profile (WPP). All of the forms and directions are on the website to evaluate a student’s handwriting versus typing abilities. There are also tools to evaluate spelling. What a […]
The current issue of Neurology published research on handwriting abilities in children with autism (14 children with autism and 14 children without autism). The research indicated that children with autism displayed poorer quality in forming letters but size, alignment and spacing were similar to their peers without autism. In the study, motor skill level was […]