Is Handwriting Instruction Important?
This is a question we get asked by parents of students of all ages. From poor letter formation to completely illegible writing, the issue of handwriting instruction is essential. Here are a few things we know from the current research:
Letter formation instruction creates neural connections in the brain to support the mapping process between sounds and letter patterns.
Handwriting instruction should initially focus on forming the letters with correct pathways.
Direct, explicit instruction in letter formation should focus on K-2 students and students with dyslexia who need intensive, structured literacy interventions.
When is it more than just sloppy handwriting?
Dysgraphia is a related learning disability that centers on handwriting, spelling, and the written language process. Often it can happen alongside dyslexia, but it can also be a stand-alone learning disability. The common signs of dysgraphia include:
Illegible letter formation.
Inability to orientate writing to margins or a baseline.
Unrecognizable spellings of words.
Difficulty organizing thoughts to write down on paper.
Difficulty writing a grammatically correct sentence, paragraph, etc.