A STUDY OF HANDWRITING IN WRITTEN STORIES OF NORMAL AND LEARNING-DISABLED CHILDREN

Written stories of normally achieving and learning disabled children i n grades one through three were compared, using a Handwriting Evaluati on Scale designed for this study. The subjects also were given tests f or receptive language, figure copying and spelling. The Non-LD and LD groups differed on figure copying, spelling and written productivity, but not receptive language. The Non-LD grade level groups differed sig nificantly on two components of the handwriting scale (Letter Size and Control), while the LD grade level groups differed on three component s (Letter Formation, Alignment and Spacing, and Letter Size). The most pronounced differences between the LD and normally achieving children were on Formation and Size. A separate analysis of the third grade st ories revealed that handwriting was less related to productivity than spelling and visual-motor skills. Nevertheless, the results indicated that many LD students have weak visual-spatial-motor skills. Implicati ons for intervention are discussed.