Igniting Their Writing:The Struggle to Get Ideas on Paper by Dr. Mel Levine. "Large numbers of students falter and fail when it comes to writing. Their writing may be barely legible, the content overly simplistic, or they may simply write too little. Their written language may seem like the verbal expression of a much younger student. Sometimes there is a wide gap between the sophistication of a student's spoken language and the language he transmits on paper. Some kids simply resist writing activities altogether..."

Handwriting Instruction: What Do We Know? ERIC Digest
"There is increased emphasis on children's writing today, but the emphasis is on writing stories and essays that demonstrate that children are learning to think. However, before children can write anything, they must learn printing or cursive handwriting. Despite the influence of new technologies, the computer and the word processor have not replaced the need to learn how to print or write.

In the search for effective handwriting instructional practices, researchers have examined the following questions: How are printing and cursive handwriting usually taught? Should printing be taught first and then discontinued? What should be done with the children who are poor printers? Are special paper and pencils necessary? and Is there a single "best" method for teaching handwriting?" Read this article to find out more about the importance of learning handwriting."

Handwriting Hints from the Teacher Web
Pencil grasp, size, finger position and more tips about helping a child learn to write.

Helping Your Child with Handwriting
"Children who paint or write in cursive, but who are unable to write legibly and consistently, in spite of repeated admonitions, require special approaches to the solution of their special difficulties. These are youngsters who are unable to properly form their letters, who have difficulty keeping their letters on the line, who may not seem to understand the relative sizes of letters, who either crowd letters within words together, or who space so poorly that it is almost impossible to determine where one word ends and another begins. The net result is that what they have written is often difficult or near impossible to decode, even when it is spelled correctly. Here are suggestions other parents have successfully used to help their children."

From LDonline: Helping Your Child To Better Handwriting

When to Refer Children to O.T. An informative article for teachers, from Handwriting without Tears.

Books - to help you, your child, or student.

Writing Remediation Tools - writing programs, worksheets, software and others aids.

Teacher Resources - Classroom Accommodations, tips and programs to help your students learn to write.

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