The Effects of an LD Student's Treatment Choice on Handwriting Performance

An 11-year-old LD boy was taught two different strategies, both of which markedly improved his handwriting performance on a paragraph-copying task. The first strategy involved a review of typical rules just prior to copying the paragraph. The rules included reminders about punctuation, staying on the line, and the correct proportioning of letters. The second strategy involved circling quality work on the paper immediately following the handwriting task. Results for the first 72 days of the 81-day study indicated that allowing the student his choice of strategies produced better performance than did teacher-determined choices.