Improvement of Handwriting and Letter Recognition Skills: A Behavior Modification Procedure

This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a behavior modification procedure using primary and social reinforcement, combined with several instructional procedures, to improve the letter identification and handwriting skills of a six-year-old boy. The experimental design was a single subject, ABA 6, extending over a three-week experimental period (14 sessions), in a one-to-one setting. Results show that the subject achieved 100 percent proficiency in oral identification, writing letters with a model, and writing letters without a model over the experimental period from their baseline lows of 43 percent, 25 percent, and 5 percent respectively. It was also noted that this improvement generalized to the regular classroom.