Teaching Fluent Handwriting Remediates Many Reading-Related Learning Disabilities

Abstract

One of the most vexing educational problems in children is the inability to learn to read. Recently it has been shown that the inability to write skillfully imposes great limits on a child's ability to learn to read. In this paper, information from multiple sources and studies will be reviewed. All of the sources imply a physical (movement) issue is part of the learning problem and emphasize the importance of teaching handwriting skills. Many schools have eliminated all priority and time for instruction of handwriting and college methods courses for teacher training rarely touch on handwriting. The goal herein is to review, for educators and parents, a collection of evidence which strongly indicates that instruction of physical approach skills (i.e., pencil-hold, paper and arm positioning, and body posture) are extremely important. Without identification and correction, maladaptive hand, wrist and arm positions defeat the emergence of fluency and lend to "Reversed Positioning Sensation" (RPS) an invisible condition that affects many students. It is now clear that for RPS children, these skills are critical for literacy to develop. Educators should know that teaching skills for fluent handwriting can be a powerful intervention for children struggling with literacy; and successful instruction in primary classrooms may well prevent development of attention problems and written language disabilities.

Preventing Children From Developing Dyslexia: A Premature Writing Hypothesis

“….” (Orton, 1931, p. 166) and that “… there has been a failure to establish the normal facile association between the visual and the kinesthetic engrams, resulting in a measure of conflict” (Orton & Gillingham, 1933, p. 24). Analogous visual-kinesthetic conflict was observed in a series of studies, summarized in Young et al, (2015), showing atypically reversed rotation actions in children with written language difficulties. These actions included unscrewing bottles in an unusual way and, when drawing clockwise circles, sensing that the pencil was moving counterclockwise.…”

Preventing the Development of Dyslexia: A Reply to Mather

“…Mather's proposal does not suggest an answer to this question. However, Young et al (2015), who Mather referenced, concluded their review paper by noting that teaching skills for fluent handwriting can be a powerful intervention for children who struggle with literacy. In other words, writing should be taught, if not before reading, then at least along with reading.…”