Multitiered systems of support (MTSS) are an effective and efficient framework burgeoning in schools across the United States. School-based occupational therapy practitioners (SBOTPs) have much to offer in the MTSS framework and can influence school-based outcomes. Understanding the current literature and its implications for practice is…

The current study examined the effectiveness of a "writing is caught" approach with young developing writers in Norway. This method is based on the premise that writing competence is acquired naturally through real use in meaningful contexts. Our longitudinal randomized control trial study tested this proposition by examining if…

Background: Learning which letters correspond to which speech sounds is fundamental for learning to read. Based on previous experimental studies, we developed a serious game aiming to boost letter-speech sound (L-SS) correspondences in a motivational game environment. Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the efficacy of this game in…

Evidence supports a link between handwriting and aspects of literacy, including both reading and writing. Most evidence, however, pertains to children from grade one and above, once foundation skills known to support emerging literacy have been established. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesise the extant literature concerning…

Write Start is a co-taught, whole of class approach to handwriting instruction developed for students in grade one and delivered collaboratively by teachers and occupational therapists. Write Start emphasizes the development of handwriting fluency utilizing evidence-based cognitive and perceptual motor strategies within a station-based teaching…

Advances in the use of technology in the classroom have not changed the fact that handwriting remains a primary occupation of students throughout their educational careers. A recent study stated that "up to 27% of children in elementary school are reported to have handwriting problems" (Steinhart et al., 2021, p.2). Despite this fact,…

Background: Handwriting improvements have been found to improve foundational academic literacy skills. As telehealth usage has increased, the effectiveness of delivering handwriting interventions using telehealth has not been researched. The additional literacy benefits of handwriting interventions delivered via telehealth have also not been…

Children's writing depends on strategic and self-regulated behaviors as well as on attention and transcription skills. Despite the well-established effectiveness of interventions based on the self-regulated strategy development model (SRSD), little is known about their effects when combined with the explicit teaching and systematic training of…

As a growing base of evidence links student success with attendance, many states have chosen to include measures of student absenteeism in their accountability systems under ESSA. Consequently, school districts face strong incentives to improve attendance. We report on a randomized field experiment in which parents of early elementary students…

Handwriting is a key occupation for school-aged children and one of the common reasons for referral to a school-based occupational therapist. There are many interventions offered by school-based occupational therapists and this scoping review aimed to examine specific intervention approaches and compare their mode of service delivery (i.e., direct…

Handwriting is still critical to student success in the classroom; however, schools have been de-emphasizing formal handwriting instruction. This study evaluated the effect of the "Size Matters Handwriting Program" on handwriting legibility and visual-motor skills among kindergarten students in general education classrooms. A two-group…

Learning to write involves the acquisition of several skills, not the least of which is handwriting. Indeed, studies in cognitive psychology have clearly demonstrated that it takes time to acquire this complex skill. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an explicit multicomponent alphabet writing instruction program implemented…

We describe the development of an evidence-based motor intervention and an implementation pilot study in ten primary schools, involving 515 children (4-11 years). 'Helping Handwriting SHINE' (HHS) is a novel, school-led, group-based handwriting intervention. Teaching staff delivered HHS and provided feedback through a questionnaire, reporting…

This qualitative study focused on educators' perspectives of teaching students with dysgraphia. Dysgraphia can be referred to as a specific learning disorder (SLD) in writing and includes difficulties with handwriting, spelling, and/or composition skills. To explore the educators' experiences, an interpretative phenomenological analysis method was…

Elementary students who demonstrate accuracy and speed in handwriting are better equipped to generate higher quality, longer composition. Unfortunately, students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to encounter significant difficulties with legibility, size, and speed of handwriting. The present study used a single-subject, multiple-baseline…