Using Tracing and Modeling with a Handwriting Without Tears ® Worksheet to Increase Handwriting Legibility for a Preschool Student with Autism

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to increase the legibility of letter writing using a tracing procedure derived from the Handwriting Without Tears ® program (1). Our participant was enrolled in a self-contained special education preschool classroom. The child was expected to move on to an integrated kindergarten during that next school year, so gaining handwriting skills and being able to write her name should increase her chances for success. During baseline, she could only write one of the six letters in her first name. When tracing the letters of her first name on a Handwriting Without Tears ® worksheet and then copying the letters, the writing of the letters in her name increased. Overall, our results suggest that the use of the Handwriting Without Tears ® worksheet along with a visual model can increase the participant's ability to write letters. The efficacy of employing these procedures is discussed.