Effectiveness of an Integrated Handwriting Program for First-Grade Students: A Pilot Study

Headnote

KEY WORDS

* cooperative behavior

* faculty

* handwriting

* occupational therapy

* program evaluation

We developed and piloted a program for first-grade students to promote development of legible handwriting and writing fluency. The Write Start program uses a coteaching model in which occupational therapists and teachers collaborate to develop and implement a handwriting-writing program. The small-group format with embedded individualized supports allows the therapist to guide and monitor student performance and provide immediate feedback. The 12-wk program was implemented with 1 class of 19 students. We administered the Evaluation of Children's Handwriting Test, Minnesota Handwriting Assessment, and Woodcock-Johnson Fluency and Writing Samples test at baseline, immediately after the Write Start program, and at the end of the school year. Students made large, significant gains in handwriting legibility and speed and in writing fluency that were maintained at 6-mo follow-up. The Write Start program appears to promote handwriting and writing skills in first-grade students and is ready for further study in controlled trials.

Case-Smith, J., Holland, T., & Bishop, B. (2011). Effectiveness of an integrated handwriting program for first-grade students: A pilot study. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 65, 670-678. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2011.000984

Handwriting is a critical life skill for elementary school students (Cahill, 2009). It is also a complex skill that requires the integration of lower-level perceptual-motor skills (e.g., visual-motor coordination) and higher-level cognitive skills (e.g., language, executive function; Graham & Weintraub, 1996; Weintraub, Yinon, Hirsch, & Parush, 2009). Although some children appear to learn handwriting automatically, most children must be taught handwriting to achieve writing fluency. Unfortunately, with the increasing emphasis on reading and math in the United States, handwriting instruction appears to be decreasing (Berninger et al., 2006). Too often in public schools, fundamental handwriting skills are not explicitly taught, and students who struggle with these skills are not identified until the demands for written production increase.

Graham et al. (2008) completed a survey of first- through third-grade teachers' perceptions of teaching handwriting. Only 39% of the teachers surveyed indicated that their students' handwriting was adequate, and only 46% indicated that their students' handwriting speed was sufficient to keep up with classroom demands. The teachers reported that almost 25% of students experienced difficulty with handwriting (Graham et al., 2008). Although the teachers...