Variables affecting the legibility of manuscript letters produced by children from preschool through the first two grades are discussed in this literature review. Much of the research cited has as its major goal the identification of treatment conditions and programming regimes that reduce the confusion and training time commonly associated with…

Manuscript letter strokes made by second and third grade children on wide- and normal-spaced paper were studied. Second graders wrote better on wide-spaced paper, while third graders were unaffected by spacing. Results suggest that the transition to normal-spaced paper can be most advantageously made in second grade. (Authors/PP)

As new research shows how effective systematic and explicit teaching of language-based skills is for students with learning disabilities--along with the added benefits of multisensory techniques--discover the latest on this popular teaching approach with the third edition of this bestselling textbook. Adopted by colleges and universities across…

This study was designed to examine the effects of tracing and fading prompts to improve the handwriting of two preschoolers both diagnosed as Developmentally Delayed (DD) and one of whom had fine motor goals. The study took place in a self-contained special education public preschool classroom located in the Pacific Northwest. The results showed…

This mixed methods study combining a single-subject experimental design with an embedded case study focuses on the impact of a visual treatment on the handwritten and typed output of a struggling male writer during his 5th through 7th grades who has undergone a longitudinal remedial phase of two and a half years creating text-only material as well…

An inservice project to review the functional handwriting being taught in the Williamsport, Pennsylvania, school district produced a handwriting manual that provides teachers and students with models of letter forms and instructional exercises leading to the development of an individualized style of handwriting. The manual describes student…

One hundred and seventy right-handed children from kindergarten through grade 2 were asked to copy 26 upper and 26 lower case letters and the numbers 1-9 shown at one time on slide projections. The resulting stroke patterns which were observed, supported predictions derived from the starting, progression, and horizontal rules expressed in the…

Sixteen forms of an essay exam, identical in content but differing in writing neatness and numbers of composition errors, were graded by 480 classroom teachers. The two factors consisted of four writing treatments and four levels of composition errors. No significant differences were found. (Author)

Discusses cursive versus manuscript writing in respect to simplicity and children's readiness to learn both. Different spelling methods and aids are presented as well as approaches to creative writing. Bibliography (AF)

A pre- to post-test design was used to evaluate the effects of rule-based instruction on rule observance, copying performance, and discrimination skill. Three ways of imparting rules (demonstration, verbal description, and combined demonstration-verbal description) were examined, and their usefulness was compared to that of copying without…

The article discusses the teaching of cursive writing to learning disabled and other handicapped children at an early age in conjunction with, and as an aid to, reading and spelling. A structured, logical, and sequential method of teaching cursive writing is presented, along with reinforcement and review procedures. (DLS)

The article describes two cases of children (7- and 8 1/2-years-old) with spina bifida and hydrocephalus who participated in a research project to discover whether such children could make significant improvements in writing given appropriate help, and to produce an advisory booklet for teachers. (SBH)

Discusses how Doyle, through his Sherlock Holmes books, was influential in popularizing graphology. Holmes' unusual ability to analyze handwriting helped him solve a number of cases. Specific examples are provided. (RM)

In this collection of articles, the results of recent research in handwriting and spelling are reported and evaluated in the perspective of studies done over the past 50 years. The articles included are "Handwriting and Spelling: Their Current Status in the Language Arts Curriculum,""Handwriting Research" ("Movement and Quality" and "Style and…