title: Effectiveness of a self-regulated remedial program for handwriting difficulties.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Handwriting difficulties may have pervasive effects on a child's school performance. I Can! is a remedial handwriting program with a focus on self-regulated learning and applying motor learning principles combined with a behavioural approach. It is developed for typically developing children with handwriting problems.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The study aim was to evaluate the program's effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-one children aged 7-8 year participated in a cross-over study. Handwriting quality and speed were repeatedly assessed by means of the Systematic Screening of Handwriting Difficulties test. Difficulties addressed were fluency in letter formation, fluency in letter connections, letter height, regularity of letter height, space between words, and line path.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mixed model analysis revealed improved quality of writing and speed for all children but significantly more improvement in handwriting quality for the children participating in the program. Although writing speed improved over time, no additional effects of the program occurred.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  'I Can!' is found to be an effective instructive program to ameliorate handwriting quality in typically developing children with handwriting difficulties. The program's success was by a therapy burst of only 7 weeks focusing on the child's self-regulated learning capacities, within an individualized education plan according to their needs and goals.
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Hilde
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Van Waelvelde
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Roubaix
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Lien
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Steppe
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Evy
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Troubleyn
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Mey
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Griet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Dewitte
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Debrabant
authors.affiliation: a Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Van de Velde
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006236:Handwriting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D015397:Program Evaluation
keywords: Handwriting; children; intervention program; remedial education