Outcomes associated with a summer handwriting course for elementary students

The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of a summer handwriting instruction course offered to community elementary-age students.

Twenty-six students participated in the study and attended instruction for 1 hour per day for 2 weeks. Pre- and posttesting with the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH) were conducted. Parents were also asked to rate their child's handwriting at pretest, posttest, and 3 months posttest.

Participants made significant improvement in two subtests of the ETCH and in parent ratings between pretest and posttest. Parent ratings remained significantly improved 3 months posttesting. Additional results suggest that children who received special education during the previous school year improved their handwriting scores on the ETCH to a greater degree than those who did not receive special education.

A new service delivery model for handwriting instruction has the potential to benefit students. Occupational therapists should consider offering handwriting training to students in the summer especially if deterioration of performance is anticipated.