Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists October 2015 | Page 6

Effects of Handwriting on Learning to Read

Did you know some research indicates that brain activation when identifying letters is
influenced by previous handwriting of letters? Researchers at Indiana University have
published several research articles on visual perceptual skills in children. One article that was
published in Trends in Neuroscience and Education examined 15 preliterate, right handed
children (ages 4.2-5 years old). During functional MRI scanning, each child was shown a
letter or shape on an index card and asked to draw, trace or type the item without it being
named by the experimenter.
The following results were recorded:
after self-generated printing experience, letter perception in the young child recruits
components of the reading systems in the brain more than other forms of sensori-motor
practice (tracing or typing).
The researchers concluded that “handwriting is important for the early recruitment in letter
processing of brain regions known to underlie successful reading. Handwriting therefore may
facilitate reading acquisition in young children”
Read the full text article here http://www.indiana.edu/~canlab/assets/2012kjames—englehardt_effects-of-handwiritng.pdf
Reference: James KH, Engelhardt L. The effects of handwriting experience on functional
brain development in preliterate children. Trends in Neuroscience and Education (2012),
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tine.2012.08.001.

Check out handwriting activities for children at
http://yourtherapysource.com/handwriting.html

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