A systematic review of interventions to improve handwriting

Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy

Volumn 78, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 13-25

  Hoy, Monica M P ^a   Egan, Mary Y ^b   Feder, Katya P ^c  

^a Five Counties Children's Centre   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA   (Canada)

^c NONE

Author keywords

Handwriting; Pediatric occupational therapy; Schools, elementary

Indexed keywords

CHILD; ELECTROMYOGRAPHY; HANDWRITING; HUMAN; LEARNING; METHODOLOGY; OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY; RELAXATION TRAINING; REVIEW; SENSORY FEEDBACK;

CHILD; ELECTROMYOGRAPHY; FEEDBACK, SENSORY; HANDWRITING; HUMANS; OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY; PRACTICE (PSYCHOLOGY); RELAXATION THERAPY;

EID: 79551542034     PISSN: 00084174     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2182/cjot.2011.78.1.3     Document Type: Review

References (69)

1. Amundson, S. J. (1992). Handwriting: Evaluation and intervention in school settings. In J. Case-Smith & C. Pehoski (Eds.), Development of hand skills in the child (pp. 63-78). Rockville, MD: American Occupational Terapy Association.
2. Asher, A. V. (2006). Handwriting instruction in elementary schools. American Journal of Occupational Terapy, 60, 461-471.
3. Baroody, A. J., & Kaufman, L. (1993). The case of Lee: Assessing and remedying a numeral-writing difficulty. Teaching Exceptional Children, 25(3), 14-16.
4. Berninger, V. W., Mizokawa, D. T., & Bragg, R. (1991). Teorybased diagnosis and remediation of writing disabilities. Journal of Educational Psychology, 29, 57-79. doi:10.1016/0022-4405 (91) 90016-K
5. Berninger, V. W., Rutberg, J. E., Abbott, R. D., Garcia, N., Anderson-Youngstrom, M., Brooks, A., & Fulton, C. (2006). Tier 1 and tier 2 early intervention for handwriting and composing. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 3-30. doi: 10.1016/j.jsp. 2005.12.003
6. Berninger, V. W., Vaughan, K. B., Abbott, R. D., Abbott, S. P., Rogan, L. W., Brooks, A., & Graham, S. (1997). Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers: Transfer from handwriting to composition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 652-666.
7. Bonney, M. (1992). Understanding and assessing handwriting difficulty: Perspectives from the literature. Australian Occupational Terapy Journal, 39, 7-15.
8. Burkhalter, B. B., & Wright, J. P. (1984). Handwriting performance with and without transparent overlays. Journal of Experimental Education, 52, 132.
9. Cahill, S. M. (2010). Contributions made by occupational therapists in RtI: A pilot study. Journal of Occupational Terapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 3, 3-10. doi: 10.1080/19411241003683771
10. Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists. (2007). Profile of occupational therapy practice in Canada. Ottawa, ON: CAOT Publications ACE.
11. Carter, J. L., & Russell, H. L. (1985). Use of EMG biofeedback procedures with learning disabled children in a clinical and an educational setting. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 18, 213-216. doi: 10.1177/002221948501800406
12. Case-Smith, J. (2002). Effectiveness of school-based occupational therapy intervention on handwriting. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56, 17-25.
13. Case-Smith, J. (2005). Occupational therapy for children (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby.
14. Christensen, C. A. (2004). Relationship between orthographic-motor integration and computer use for the production of creative and well-structured written text. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 74, 551-564. doi: 10.1348/0007099042376373
15. Chwirka, B., Gurney, B., & Burtner, P. A. (2002). Keyboarding and visual-motor skills in elementary students: A pilot study. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 16, 39-51. doi: 10.1080/J003v16n02-03
16. Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
17. Cramm, H., Pollock, N., Dennis, D., Subramaniam, K., & Carkner, M. (2009). Occupational therapy with school-aged children. Occupational Therapy Now, 11(6), 24-26.
18. Densem, J. F., Nuthall, G. A., Bushnell, J., & Horn, J. (1989). Effectiveness of a sensory integrative therapy program for children with perceptual-motor deficits. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 22, 221-229. doi: 10.1177/002221948902200405
19. Denton, P. L., Cope, S., & Moser, C. (2006). The effects of sensorimotor-based intervention versus therapeutic practice on improving handwriting performance in 6-to 11-year-old children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 60, 16-27.
20. Donica, D. (2010). A historical journey through the development of handwriting instruction (Part 2): The occupational therapists' role. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 3, 32-53. doi: 10.1080/19411241003683995
21. Elwood, M. (2007). Critical appraisal of epidemiological studies and clinical trials (3rd ed.). Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.
22. Erhardt, R. P., & Meade, V. (2005). Improving handwriting without teaching handwriting: The consultative clinical reasoning process. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 52, 199-210. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1630.2005.00505.x
23. Feder, K. P., & Majnemer, A. (2007). Handwriting development, competency, and intervention. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 49, 312-317. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2007.00312.x
24. Feder, K., Majnemer, A., & Synnes, A. (2000). Handwriting: Current trends in occupational therapy practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67, 197-204.
25. Feder, K. P., Racine, M. B., & Majnemer, A. (2008). A review of handwriting performance and interventions: Does remediation work? Israeli Journal of Occupational Therapy, 17(3), 69-88.
26. Freeman, A. R., MacKinnon, J. R., & Miller, L. T. (2004). Assistive technology and handwriting problems: What do occupational therapists recommend? Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71, 150-160.
27. Graham, S., Harris, K. R., & Fink, B. (2000). Is handwriting causally related to learning to write? Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers. Journal of Educational Psychology, 92, 620-633.
28. Hall, L., & Case-Smith, J. (2007). The effect of sound-based intervention on children with sensory processing disorders and visualmotor delays. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 209-215. doi: 10.5014/ajot.61.2.209
29. Hammerschmidt, S. L., & Sudsawad, P. (2004). Teachers' survey on problems with handwriting: Referral, evaluation, and outcomes. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 58, 185-192.
30. Handley-More, D., Deitz, J., Billingsley, F. F., & Coggins, T. E. (2003). Facilitating written work using computer word processing and word prediction. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57, 139-151.
31. Harris, S. J., & Livesey, D. J. (1992). Improving handwriting through kinaesthetic sensitivity practice. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 39, 23-27.
32. Hartley, S. T., & Salzwedel, K. D. (1980). Behavioral writing for an autistic-like child. Academic Therapy, 16(1), 101-110. doi: 10.1177/ 105345128001600111
33. Higgins, J. P. T., & Green, S. (Eds.). (2009). Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions, [Version 5.0.2, updated September 2009]. Retrieved from http://www.cochrane-handbook.org/
34. Hirsch, E., & Niedermeyer, F. C. (1973). The effects of tracing prompts and discrimination training on kindergarten handwriting performance. Journal of Educational Research, 67, 81-86.
35. Hutton, E. (2009). Occupational therapy in mainstream primary schools: an evaluation of a pilot project. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72, 308-313.
36. Jackson, K., & Hughes, H. H. (1978). Effects of relaxation training on cursive handwriting of fourth grade students. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 47, 707-712.
37. Jongmans, M. J., Linthorst-Bakker, E., Westenberg, Y., & Smits-Engelsman, B. C. M. (2003). Use of a task-oriented self-instruction method to support children in primary school with poor handwriting quality and speed. Human Movement Science, 22, 549-566. doi: 10.1016/j.humov. 2003.09.009
38. Karlsdottir, R. (1996). Development of cursive handwriting. Perceptual & Motor Skills, 82, 659-673.
39. Karlsdottir, R., & Stefansson, T. (2002). Problems in developing functional handwriting. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 94, 623-662.
40. Kephart, N. C. (1971). The slow learner in the classroom (2nd ed.). Columbus, OH: Charles E. Merrill.
41. Krzesni, J. S. (1971). Effect of different writing tools and paper on performance of the third grader. Elementary English, 48(7), 821-824.
42. Lerer, R. J., Lerer, M. P., & Artner, J. (1977). The effects of methylphenidate on the handwriting of children with minimal brain dysfunction. Journal of Pediatrics, 91, 127-132.
43. Mabee, W. S. (1988). The effects of academic positive practice on cursive letter writing. Education & Treatment of Children, 11, 143-148.
44. Marr, D., & Dimeo, S. B. (2006). Outcomes associated with a summer handwriting course for elementary students. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 60, 10-15. doi: 10.5014/ajot.60.1.10
45. McFadden, T. U. (1998). The immediate effects of pictographic representation on children's narratives. Child Language Teaching & Therapy, 14, 51-67. doi: 10.1177/026565909801400103
46. McGarrigle, J., & Nelson, A. (2006). Evaluating a school skills programme for Australian Indigenous children: A pilot study. Occupational Therapy International, 13, 1-20. doi: 10.1002/oti.10
47. McHale, K., & Cermak, S. A. (1992). Fine motor activities in elementary school: Preliminary findings and provisional implications for children with fine motor problems. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 46, 898-903.
48. Medwell, J., & Wray, D. (2008). Handwriting - A forgotten language skill? Language and Education, 22, 34-47. doi: 10.2167/le722.0
49. Peterson, C. Q., & Nelson, D. L. (2003). Effect of an occupational intervention on printing in children with economic disadvantages. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57, 152-160.
50. Ratzon, N. Z., Efraim, D., & Bart, O. (2007). A short-term graphomotor program for improving writing readiness skills of firstgrade students. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 61, 399-405. doi: 10.5014/ajot.61.4.399
51. Review Manager (RevMan, Version 5.0) [Computer software]. Copenhagen, Denmark: The Nordic Cochrane Centre: The Cochrane Collaboration.
52. Rigby, P., & Schwellnus, H. (1999). Occupational therapy decision making guidelines for problems in written productivity. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 19(1), 5-27. doi: 10.1300/J006v19n01-02
53. Roberts, G. I., & Samuels, M. T. (1993). Handwriting remediation: A comparison of computer-based and traditional approaches. Journal of Educational Research, 87, 118.
54. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000a). Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations: Classic definition and new directions. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 54-67. doi: 10.1006/ceps.1999.1020
55. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000b). Self-determination theory and facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and wellbeing. American Psychologist, 55, 68-78. doi: 10.1037//0003-066X.55.1.68
56. Schilling, D. L., Washington, K., Billingsley, F. F., & Deitz, J. (2003). Classroom seating for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Therapy balls versus chairs. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 57, 534-541.
57. Schmidt, R. A., and Lee, T. D. (2005). Motor control and learning: A behavioral emphasis (4th ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
58. Shen, I. H., Kang, S. M., & Wu, C. Y. (2003). Comparing the effect of different design of desks with regard to motor accuracy in writing performance of students with cerebral palsy. Applied Ergonomics, 34, 141-147. doi: 10.1016/S0003-6870 (03) 00002-4
59. Ste-Marie, D. M., Clark, S. E., Findlay, L. C., & Latimer, A. E. (2004). High levels of contextual interference enhance handwriting skill acquisition. Journal of Motor Behavior, 36, 115-126. doi: 10.3200/JMBR.36.1.115- 126
60. Sudsawad, P., Trombly, C. A., Henderson, A., & Tickle-Degnen, L. (2002). Testing the effect of kinesthetic training on handwriting performance in first-grade students. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56, 26-33. doi: 10.5014/ajot.56.1.26
61. Sugden, D. A., & Chambers, M. E. (1998). Intervention approaches and children with developmental coordination disorder. Pediatric Rehabilitation, 2, 139-147. doi: 10.3109/17518429809060945
62. Tallal, P., Chase, C., Russell, G., & Schmitt, R. L. (1986). Evaluation of the efficacy of piracetam in treating information processing, reading and writing disorders in dyslexic children. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 4, 41-52.
63. Tam, C., Reid, D., Naumann, S., & O'Keefe, B. (2002). Perceived benefits of word prediction intervention on written productivity in children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus. Occupational Therapy International, 9, 237-255. doi: 10.1002/oti.167
64. Tucha, O., & Lange, K. W. (2005). The effect of conscious control on handwriting in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 9, 323-332. doi: 10.1177/1087054705279994
65. Wehrmann, S., Chiu, T., Reid, D., & Sinclair, G. (2006). Evaluation of occupational therapy school-based consultation service for students with fine motor difficulties. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73, 225-235. doi: 10.2182/cjot.05.0016
66. Weintraub, N., Yinon, M., Hirsch, I. B., & Parush, S. (2009). Effectiveness of sensorimotor and task-oriented handwriting intervention in elementary school-aged students with handwriting difficulties. OTJR: Occupation, Participation & Health, 29, 125-134. doi: 10.3928/15394492-20090611-05
67. Woodward, S., & Swinth, Y. (2002). Multisensory approaches to handwriting remediation: Perceptions of school-based occupational therapists. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 56, 305-312. doi: 10.5014/ajot.56.3. 305
68. Zwicker, J., & Harris, S. (2009). A reflection on motor learning theory in pediatric occupational therapy practice. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76, 29-37.
69. Zwicker, J. G., & Hadwin, A. F. (2009). Cognitive versus multisensory approaches to handwriting intervention: A randomized controlled trial. OTJR: Occupation, Participation & Health, 29, 40-48.