Suggests that handwriting is a vital skill and needs to be taught along with adult literacy. Looks at understanding the importance of handwriting and diagnosing problems. (JOW)

Presents an interim report on work with writer's cramp patients, suggesting that a wider view of this condition is needed. Discusses aspects inherent in the act of writing, and in taught strategies, that influence the attitudes to, and treatment of, this movement disorder. Describes simple practical measures aimed at alleviating the symptoms. (SR)

We studied the effects of delayed constructed-response identity marching on spelling with 6 first graders with histories of school failure. After training, the children learned to spell words to dictation and their cursive writing improved. These results replicate studies showing that delayed constructed-response matching establishes spelling. For…

In this paper, we discuss a variety of spelling tests that are used to assess developmental spelling difficulties. We differentiate between tests that are valuable tools to monitor spelling development and spelling tests that should be used to further assess children who are not making sufficient progress in the mainstream classroom. We recommend…

This study examined whether discourse knowledge about various forms of writing predicted young developing writers' (Grade 2 and Grade 4 students) story writing performance once 4 writing (handwriting fluency, spelling, attitude toward writing, advanced planning) and 3 nonwriting (grade, gender, basic reading skills) variables were controlled. It…

In this study, a teaching method stressing the learner's perceptual development was prepared for the purpose of teaching beginning handwriting to children. During a school year, 324 first-graders were guided to examine the formational processes of handwriting, to describe the correct procedures orally, to check their own procedures against the…

The question and answer format of this booklet presents 35 questions about handwriting most often asked by teachers and parents. The answers that follow each question are derived from an earlier study of handwriting instruction undertaken in Ontario, Canada, schools. The questions in the first section of the booklet deal with current handwriting…

Research related to methods for building competency in spelling has yielded information about three areas of teaching: word selection, generalizations to be taught, and application of spelling skills to writing. Research on word selection indicates that teachers should choose basic, high-frequency words for children to learn to spell, giving…

Advocates a curriculum in which students are taught to use standard "k'ai" forms passively in reading, while learning to use cursive forms actively in writing. (FWB)

This secondary unit of instruction on handwriting is one of sixteen Common Core Units in Business Education (CCUBE). The units were designed for implementing the sixteen common core competencies identified in the California Business Education Program Guide for Office and Distributive Education. Each competency-based unit is designed to facilitate…

Human handedness, a marker for language lateralization in the brain, continues to attract great research interest. A widely reported but not universal finding is a greater male tendency toward left-handedness. Here the authors present a meta-analysis of k = 144 studies, totaling N = 1,787,629 participants, the results of which demonstrate that the…

A random sample of primary grade teachers from across the United States was surveyed about their instructional practices in handwriting. Nine out of every ten teachers indicated that they taught handwriting, averaging 70 minutes of instruction per week. Only 12% of teachers, however, indicated that the education courses taken in college adequately…

Objective: The authors determined the efficiency of electronic documentation in consultation-liaison psychiatry. METHOD: An electronic note system was customized for a psychiatric consultation note. Specific attention given to common diagnoses permitted rapid documentation. Results: Residents learned the system quickly. The standardized nature of…

Techniques for teaching handwriting to left-handed students are discussed. (JH)