The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of cognitive versus multisensory interventions on handwriting legibility of primary students referred to occupational therapy for handwriting difficulties. Using a randomized three-group research design, 72 first and second-grade students were assigned to either a cognitive intervention, multisensory intervention, or no intervention (control) group. Letter legibility was measured before and after 10 weeks of intervention. Analysis of variance of difference scores showed no statistically significant difference between the intervention groups. Grade 1 students improved with or without intervention, but grade 2 students showed dramatic improvement with cognitive intervention compared to multisensory intervention (d = 1.09) or no intervention (d = .92). Several students in both grades showed declining performance in the multisensory and control groups, but no students had lower legibility after cognitive intervention. These results challenge current occupational therapy practice of using a multisensory approach for remediation of handwriting difficulties, especially for students in grade 2.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of cognitive versus multisensory interventions on handwriting legibility of primary students referred to occupational therapy for handwriting difficulties. Using a randomized three-group research design, 72 first and second-grade students were assigned to either a cognitive intervention, multisensory intervention, or no intervention (control) group. Letter legibility was measured before and after 10 weeks of intervention. Analysis of variance of difference scores showed no statistically significant difference between the intervention groups. Grade 1 students improved with or without intervention, but grade 2 students showed dramatic improvement with cognitive intervention compared to multisensory intervention (d = 1.09) or no intervention (d = .92). Several students in both grades showed declining performance in the multisensory and control groups, but no students had lower legibility after cognitive intervention. These results challenge current occupational therapy practice of using a multisensory approach for remediation of handwriting difficulties, especially for students in grade 2.

I Lgr 22 under kunskapskravet i svenska för åk 3 uttrycks det att eleverna ska kunna skriva med en läslig handstil men det framkommer inte vad en läslig handstil innebär samt på vilket sätt en sådan undervisning ska bedrivas. Studiens syfte är därför att studera hur speciallärare arbetar för att stödja elever med finmotoriska skrivsvårigheter när det gäller handstil och om de upplever något samband mellan finmotoriska svårigheter och dyslexi. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och utgår från det sociokulturella perspektivet. Åtta speciallärare deltog i semistrukturerade intervjuer som sedan analyserades tematiskt. Studiens resultat visar att enligt de intervjuade speciallärarna ökar en varierad undervisning med olika material elevernas motivation till att skriva. Vidare lyfter speciallärarna fram hur rätt ergonomi påverkar eleven positivt, både gällande handstil och uthållighet i skrivandet. I resultatet framför speciallärarna att de saknar tid till särskilt stöd i att stödja elevernas handstilsutveckling. Det saknas därför även dokumentation i åtgärdsprogram av elevers finmotoriska handstilssvårigheter.