Newswise — “Handwriting is an important aspect to developing literacy and reading skills at a young age,” said Dr. Susan Cahill, associate professor and director of the MSOT Program at Lewis University.
“Systematic instruction of handwriting has been found to support better legibility, faster writing speed and fluency,” added Cahill as she explained why cursive instruction in public elementary schools mandated by the Illinois General Assembly is actually beneficial to children.
Cahill provides the following methods of practice that can help children become more efficient writers:
- Guided practice
- Instructor feedback
- Self-appraisal
- Strategy identification
Students who struggle with handwriting tend to worry more about the legibility of their text and correctly forming letters than getting their ideas on to the page. This can be discouraging for a student, especially at such a young age, and make them feel negative about school.
Cahill encourages parents with children struggling with handwriting to seek help from an occupational therapist quickly.
Read more about the benefits of handwriting development at: http://www.lewisu.edu/experts/wordpress/index.php/why-should-we-teach-handwriting/
To learn more about the Occupational Therapy program at Lewis University visit: http://www.lewisu.edu/academics/msoccuptherapy
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