Handwriting Legibility is Related to Spelling Level, but Not to Reading and Spelling Progress

Abstract

ABSTRACT In three studies the relationship between handwriting difficulties and dyslexia was investigated. Study 1 examined differences in handwriting difficulties between children with (n = 331) and without dyslexia (n = 305). Children with dyslexia experienced more difficulties with legible handwriting than those without. Study 2 explored the relationship between handwriting difficulties and reading/spelling proficiency among children with dyslexia (n = 311). Reading level and legibility were not related, whereas spelling level and legibility were. Children whose handwriting was extremely poor were more likely to have spelling problems. Study 3 investigated whether handwriting difficulties affected progress in reading and spelling during remediation (n = 249). While children with limited handwriting legibility generally exhibited poorer spelling skills, it did not impede their progress in reading and spelling during the intervention. These findings suggest that handwriting proficiency does not necessarily affect remediation efforts for reading and spelling.