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Good handwriting in children translates to good grades

by KING 5 HealthLink

KING5.com

Posted on February 16, 2012 at 6:27 PM

Updated Thursday, Feb 16 at 6:27 PM

In this day of computers and high-tech gadgets, does handwriting matter anymore? A new study finds that it does. That children who excel early at printing do better in school.

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Comments: Displaying 1 - 10 of 10

zb211 said on February 18, 2012 at 12:48 AM

I think it is important to note that these handwriting tests aren't determining how well you write when naturally writing at a normal speed, they are measuring your writing when you are focusing on good penmanship. For many intelligent children (who may later become doctors, etc.) writing quickly is easy but results in worse quality. However, there are some students who even when focusing, have a difficult time writing well. These are the students who would show up on these tests as having bad handwriting. This is important information because these sorts of students are at risk of becoming easily frustrated with how hard it is for them to write and how much longer it may take them and can have serious implications on school work. Writing is a complicated process involving language abilities, visual processing, and motor planning. Could be very informative to find out what exactly is going wrong where early on in a child's school career.

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tprop said on February 17, 2012 at 11:02 PM

PS from experience - going to doctor-school ruins your handwriting. And internship causes you to scarf down your food. Quick before you get a page.

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tprop said on February 17, 2012 at 10:58 PM

children who excel early at printing do better in school....because those who do not receive head injuries?

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firesoul said on February 17, 2012 at 5:20 PM

@CrichSeattle: It's not a stereotype. I work with attorneys and have several family members in the medical field. It must be a vast coincidence that almost every single one of them has poor penmanship. Mine started long before college anyway. Sure, if I write REALLY slow and put in lots of effort, it looks decent, but for a lot of us, good handwriting doesn't come naturally. It does not at all relate to our intelligence or how hard we try in school.

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Daytrader said on February 17, 2012 at 5:01 PM

Have to agree that all the doctors and lawyers out there with terrible handwriting kind of questions that study.

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CrichSeattle said on February 17, 2012 at 4:50 PM

The stereotype about doctors, lawyers, pharmacists, etc having poor handwriting is from taking copious notes in college and medical/law school. Perhaps if you had good handwriting, that might destroy it. It doesn't mean they had poor penmanship as small children.

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CrichSeattle said on February 17, 2012 at 4:48 PM

This is one of those studies from which a lot of useless correlations can be drawn, the most obvious of which is that kids that learn to draw shapes and print early are generally good at academics. Who couldn't have guessed that without doing a study? Kids with ADD do have a hart time copying shapes and printing so it would make sense that academics would be harder for them even though they're intelligent.

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firesoul said on February 17, 2012 at 12:51 PM

Tell this to all of the doctors and lawyers I've encountered with horrible handwriting. I work with many bright people whose handwriting is not read, but deciphered. I myself have awful penmanship and always got good grades throughout school and college.

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priv62 said on February 17, 2012 at 8:14 AM

In general, the premise of the article may be true. There are always exceptions...one of my current students has extremely poor penmanship skills and yet excels in my Advanced Placement Biology class. In fact, I would rate her overall ability as qualifying her to be considered as one of the top 2 students that I have taught over the past 20 years.

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zb211 said on February 16, 2012 at 8:50 PM

I'd like to see results more longitudinally. Maybe follow the same kids through high school?

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