Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists July 2016 | Page 6

For the study one the following results were found:
1. only the cursive mode uniquely, positively, and consistently predicted both
spelling and composing in each grade.
2. for composing, in grade 4 manuscript mode was positively predictive.
3. for composing in grades 5-7 keyboard selection was positively predictive.
A second study was performed comparing 88 students: 27 with dysgraphia
(impaired handwriting), 40 with dyslexia (impaired word spelling), or 11 with oral
and written language learning disability (OWL LD) or 10 controls without specific
writing disabilities in grades 4 to 9 on the same alphabet 15 modes, manner of
copying, spelling, and sentence composing. The results from this study indicated:
1. all letter production modes correlated with each other and the
participant’s best and fast sentence copying, spelling, and timed sentence
composing.
2. groups with specific writing disabilities differed from the control group on
alphabet 15 manuscript mode, copy fast, and timed sentence composing.
3. the dysgraphia group scored lower than the dyslexia group on copying
sentences in your best handwriting.

The researchers concluded that students need continuing handwriting
instruction as well as explicit keyboard instruction (touch typing) beyond fourth
grade. They recommend that the continuing handwriting and keyboard
instruction is provided once or twice a week with students doing warm-ups such
as (a) writing the alphabet from memory, (b) copying interesting target sentences
containing all the letters of the alphabet, (c) writing letters that come before and
after other named letters, or (d) exchanging papers and circling letters that are
illegible and discussing how to make them legible to others for purposes of
written communication. These warm up/reviews should be followed by more
cognitively engaging writing tasks.

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