Program Description

"From emergent writing in PreK to cursive mastery in fifth grade, Handwriting Without Tears helps students develop fluent writing success through explicit handwriting instruction"

Cost

Contact publisher for pricing.

Intended Population

• Core
• Intervention

Grade

• Pre-K
• Elementary School

Intended Group Size

• Any

ELL/DLL

• Partial

Multisensory Applications

• Yes

Computer-Based Delivery

• Partial

Scripted

• Instructor Scripted

Comprehensive or Skill Specific

• Skill Specific

Placement Tests

• Yes

Accelerated Learning

• Unspecified

Assessment to Monitor Skills Mastery

• Yes

Error Correction Built In

• Unspecified

Fidelity Measures Provided by Publisher

• Unspecified

Research Summary

Literature review revealed various single-case studies showing that students with developmental delays who utilized the Handwriting Without Tears Curriculum made gains in handwriting skills like letter formation, letter spacing, and name writing. However, one comparison study found that students participating in the program did not outperform students in a control group.

Study Citations

Griffith, J., McLaughlin, T.F., Neyman,J., Donica, D., and Robison, R. (2013). “The Differential Effects of the Use of Handwriting Without Tears ® Modified Gray Block Paper to Teach Two Preschool Students with Developmental Delays Capital Letter Writing Skills”. Journal on Educational Psychology. Vol. 7(1) May-July 2013 Print ISSN 0973-8827, E-ISSN 2230- 7141, pp. 13 - 22.

LeBrun, M., McLaughlin, T. F., Derby, K. M., & McKenzie, M. (2012). The effects of using Handwriting without Tears® to teach thirty-one integrated preschoolers of varying academic ability to write their names. Academic Research International, Vol. 2(2), pp.373-378. Retrieved from http://174.36.46.112/~savaporg/ journals/issue.html

Schneck, C., Shasby, S., Myers, C., & DePoy Smith, M.L. (2012) Handwriting Without Tears versus Teacher-Designed Handwriting Instruction in First Grade Classrooms, Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 5:1, 31-42, DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2012.675759

Steele, Emalia & McLaughlin, T. F. & Derby, Kenneth & Donica, Denise. (2015). Employing Handwriting without Tears to Teach a 4-Yearold Preschool Student to Write His Name with the Appropriate Size, Shape, and Form Combined With an Imitate/Trace/Copy/Memory Procedure. i Manager's Journal of Educational Psychology. 8. 10.26634/jpsy.8.4.3267.

Thompson, J., McLaughlin, T. F., Derby, K. M., & Conley, D. (2012). Using tracing and modeling with a Handwriting without Tears® worksheet to increase handwriting legibility for two preschool students with developmental delay s. Academic Research International, Vol. 2(2), pp. 309-314

Evidence-Based Practice (EBP)

• Promising practice