Handwriting and spelling deficits are common struggles experienced by children with specific learning disabilities (SLD), but there is little evidence on interventions that target these areas for children with SLD. To systematically review the research investigating the effectiveness of handwriting and spelling interventions for children with SLD.…

Abundant behavioral studies have demonstrated high comorbidity of reading and handwriting difficulties in developmental dyslexia (DD), a neurological condition characterized by unexpectedly low reading ability despite adequate nonverbal intelligence and typical schooling. The neural correlates of handwriting deficits remain largely unknown;…

Barbara Luborsky explores the commonalities between occupational therapists and Montessori guides, such as their focus on the prepared environment, following the child, task analysis, and multi-sensory learning. She describes many types of sensory processing disorders including their symptoms, treatment, and the many resources and adaptations that…

Because sensorimotor and environmental factors have a profound effect on children's learning, every teacher should know how to weave strategies from occupational therapy (OT) into their everyday instruction. This is the guidebook K-3 teachers need to "think like an OT"--and form effective partnerships with OTs in their schools--so all students can…

Teaching methods to develop the handwriting skills of children who have low vision are discussed. Difficulties are seen to result from problems with motor skills, visual factors, and mechanical difficulties. Stressed throughout is adaptation of the handwriting program to the particular needs of the individual child. (DB)

The article outlines six strategies for teaching handwriting to learning disabled elementary students with differing instructional needs. A rationale for the use of each strategy is followed by a step-by-step description of the teaching procedure. Strategy goals include the following: (1) teaching the manuscript alphabet through letter pictures to…

The study compared the effectiveness of sensory integrative therapy with a parallel physical education program or a no-treatment condition with 55 5- to 10-year-old learning or perceptually motor disabled children. Results indicated no significant differences among groups except that reading progress of children already able to read was improved…

Six strategies for teaching handwriting skills to learning disabled elementary students are presented, along with a rationale and illustrated step-by-step teaching procedures for each. Skills addressed include the following: (1) improving eye-hand coordination through dot-to-dot alphabet letter tracing; (2) teaching basic strokes in manuscript…

The paper describes strategies for teaching six different handwriting skills to learning disabled (LD) elementary students. A rationale for each strategy precedes step-by-step procedural descriptions. Strategies in the following areas are described: (1) introducing LD children with motor coordination deficits to alphabetic symbols using sandpaper…

This practicum was designed to remediate handwriting skills in school-aged children who displayed visual-motor deficiencies that affect mechanical skills. Practicum goals were to: (1) identify and diagnose children with handwriting delays; (2) involve school and parent interaction by involving them with pre- and post-program assessment; (3)…

Seventy-five Dutch elementary school students wrote letters of a cursive alphabet after presentation of printed and cursive letters. Analysis revealed that spatial ambiguity, allographic variability, contextual ambiguity, and letter frequency are determinants of the time needed by children for perceiving printed and producing corresponding cursive…

Assuming that some handwriting will be necessary in the computer age, questions remain as to the instructional techniques that facilitate learning in handwriting, whether the cost and time required to teach two forms of writing can be justified, and which form is learned more easily and is better suited for use in a technological age. Effective…

The book briefly describes several hundred instructional methods from the Special Education Resources Location Analysis and Retrieval System (SER-LARS), which are intended for use in developing and carrying out individualized programs for handicapped children. Each teaching method includes an accession number; title; author; source; teacher tasks;…