Dear Colleagues,

ez Write has been developed to be a regular classroom curriculum as well as a remedial program for struggling learners. Because we have two authors with unique experiences, we were able to draw from a wealth of ideas and strategies that benefit regular and special needs populations. More and more research is being done on how important it is for students to develop letter automaticity not only for reading but for writing also. It is our intent to foster the growing trend to teach handwriting directly so that students can develop higher level written language skills.

Problems with handwriting have historically been one of the most common referrals that Occupational Therapists receive across the United States. The person referring, often times is frustrated because the child is not responding to the regular curriculum. The ez Write curriculum addresses many common problems by using a multi-sensory, developmentally appropriate sequential program. For students who have more significant problems we have developed an assessment tool to help pinpoint areas of need and explore possible reasons for difficulties. There are many underlying reasons for struggling with handwriting and OT’s are uniquely trained to help determine not only the causes for these problems but ways to approach them. Individuals with hand strength, perceptual cognitive or sensory issues, will benefit from an individualized approach. It is my hope that through using the OT fine motor skills and remedial handwriting checklist along with the ez Write program you will be able to develop a remedial program that fits any child’s unique needs and be aware of the possible need for outside referrals for assistive technology, vision assessment, or other source of assistance. Every child deserves the chance to be able to express himself or herself through written language to their highest ability.

Tami Thoreson, OTR, MAEd