Handwriting Accommodations for an IEP: 30+ Ideas for Students
Handwriting can become a barrier for students who know what they want to say but cannot efficiently get it onto paper. And this is where I see an unnecessary either/or situation all the time.
Either the child learns to handwrite, or we let them type. Either we work on handwriting, or we give them speech-to-text. It doesn’t have to work that way.
A student can receive instruction and IEP goals to improve handwriting while also receiving accommodations that allow them to access the curriculum and show what they know right now.
We don’t have to make a child wait until their handwriting improves before they’re allowed to participate in school.
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Handwriting accommodations may include reduced copying, typed notes, adapted paper and writing tools, extra time, keyboarding, speech-to-text and alternative ways to respond. The right accommodations depend on what is making handwriting difficult for that individual student.
When Is It Time to Use Assistive Technology for Handwriting?
One issue I frequently encounter with clients is that the school is pushing for more AT for the child (keyboarding, voice to text, etc.) and removing actual handwriting instruction. Meanwhile, the parent believes that the handwriting can still significantly improve and wants the child to continue to be taught and to practice.
So how do you know–when has a child maximized their handwriting ability? When do you decide “this is as good as it gets?” I will say, I struggle with this even with my own non-disabled child, as he is a senior and his handwriting is less than desirable. But, I remind myself that he can type on a laptop or device much faster than I can–it’s just a different world now.
There isn’t a magic age or test score that tells you a child has “maxed out” on handwriting. The IEP team should discuss whether continued handwriting instruction is producing meaningful functional progress, or whether handwriting is still preventing the student from accessing instruction and showing what they know. And of course, is the child receiving meaningful handwriting instruction?
Look at the data:
- Is the student making progress with appropriate instruction?
- How much time and effort does handwriting require?
- Is there pain or fatigue?
- Does the student know the answer but spend so much energy physically writing it that the quality or amount of their work suffers?
At some point, continuing to demand more handwriting practice can have a real opportunity cost because the student is spending time practicing a difficult motor task instead of learning science, writing an essay or participating in class. And choosing assistive technology doesn’t mean anyone has “given up” on handwriting. A student can continue working on functional handwriting skills while using keyboarding, speech-to-text or another form of AT for tasks where handwriting is a barrier. The goal isn’t beautiful handwriting. The goal is communication, access and meaningful participation in school.
IEP and 504 Accommodations for Handwriting
Handwriting accommodations should address the student’s disability-related barrier without unnecessarily changing what they’re expected to learn.
For example, if a student understands photosynthesis but physically struggles to handwrite a paragraph about it, allowing them to type the paragraph gives them another way to demonstrate the same knowledge. That’s very different from expecting them to know less about photosynthesis.
Here are some handwriting accommodations an IEP or 504 team might consider:
- Allow keyboarding for written assignments and longer responses.
- Provide access to a computer, Chromebook or tablet.
- Allow speech-to-text or voice-recognition software.
- Allow dictation to a scribe when appropriate.
- Permit oral responses when handwriting is not the skill being assessed.
- Allow AAC users to respond with their established communication system.
- Reduce or eliminate copying from the board.
- Provide teacher-created notes, outlines or presentation slides.
- Provide partially completed notes so the student records only key information.
- Provide digital copies of instructional materials.
- Allow additional time for handwriting tasks.
- Provide breaks during longer writing assignments.
- Reduce repetitive handwriting when repetition is not needed to demonstrate mastery.
- Divide lengthy written assignments into smaller sections.
- Allow a combination of handwriting, typing and dictation.
- Provide adapted, highlighted or raised-line paper.
- Provide larger writing spaces when needed.
- Allow graph paper for alignment.
- Provide visual spacing guides.
- Allow an appropriate pencil grip or adapted writing tool.
- Provide a slant board or adapted writing surface when needed.
- Allow answers to be recorded directly in the test booklet rather than transferred elsewhere.
- Provide additional space for written responses.
- Allow electronic submission of assignments.
- Provide alternatives to handwritten note-taking.
- Allow additional time between writing tasks when fatigue is a concern.
- Reduce homework handwriting demands when appropriate.
- Allow alternative response formats for assignments, such as completing assignments verbally. (I’ve had a lot of teachers who use paras to do this)
- Provide high-tech or low-tech assistive technology identified by the team.
- Provide access to word prediction or other written-output supports when appropriate.
Parents–if these are added to your IEP or 504 plan, make sure you know who is accountable. Avoid language like “has access to.” It should be defined if the child has to self advocate and ask for the accommodation, or if it will be provided.
How Do You Get a Scribe Added to an IEP?
A scribe may be appropriate when a student’s disability makes handwriting or other forms of written output a barrier to demonstrating what they know. As with any accommodation, start with the need, not with “I want a scribe.”
Document what happens during written work: how long it takes, how much the student can produce, whether handwriting causes pain or fatigue, whether the student can verbally provide answers they cannot efficiently write, and what other supports have been tried.
Then request that the IEP team discuss accommodations for written output, including whether dictation to a scribe is appropriate. If the team agrees, the IEP should be specific about when the student may use a scribe, such as for lengthy written assignments, classroom assessments or other identified tasks.
It should also be clear what the scribe does: generally, the scribe records the student’s response rather than composing, editing or improving it for them.
For state and standardized testing, separate rules may apply to scribing, so the team should confirm that the accommodation is documented and used consistently in a way that meets the applicable testing requirements. And a scribe doesn’t have to be an all-or-nothing decision.
A student might handwrite short responses, type longer assignments, use speech-to-text for some tasks and use a scribe when those options aren’t accessible. The question is always the same: what does this student need to access the task and demonstrate what they actually know?
Handwriting Without Tears
Whenever I am talking with IEP parents about handwriting, inevitably the discussion of Handwriting without Tears or No Tears Handwriting comes up. It’s a popular program and one that parents share with each other (the idea, not the actual program).
Handwriting Without Tears is a handwriting curriculum developed by occupational therapist Jan Olsen. You may also see parents searching for it as “No Tears Handwriting,” but Handwriting Without Tears is the actual name of the program.
The program began in 1977 after Olsen used her occupational therapy background to help her own son, who was struggling with handwriting. It eventually developed into a multisensory handwriting curriculum that teaches skills such as letter formation, printing and cursive in a developmental sequence.
Today, Handwriting Without Tears is part of Learning Without Tears and is designed for students from transitional kindergarten through sixth grade.
The program uses explicit instruction and multisensory activities rather than relying only on pencil-and-paper practice. Depending on the level and materials being used, students may work with manipulatives, movement, visual models and other hands-on activities while learning letter formation and handwriting skills.
There is research on Handwriting Without Tears in school settings, including studies involving classroom teachers and occupational therapists. Some studies have reported improvements in areas of handwriting performance, although the research isn’t a reason to assume that one particular program will be appropriate for every student.
Because, say it with me: IEPs are individualized.
Who Provides Handwriting Without Tears?
Handwriting Without Tears is not an occupational therapy service by itself. It’s a handwriting curriculum.
The program can be implemented in classroom instruction, and research has looked at models in which teachers used the curriculum with consultation or collaboration from occupational therapists. A systematic review of classroom handwriting programs also notes that Handwriting Without Tears can be implemented by both teachers and occupational therapy practitioners.
So if your child needs Handwriting Without Tears, don’t assume that means the IEP must say, “OT will provide Handwriting Without Tears.”
The person providing instruction should be determined by the student’s needs, the services in the IEP and how the school is implementing the program.
An occupational therapist may be involved, or a teacher may provide the instruction or there may be collaboration between the two.
What matters is that the IEP clearly identifies what the child needs and who is responsible for providing the specially designed instruction, related services, supports or other components the team determines are necessary.
How Do I Get Handwriting Without Tears on an IEP?
This is where I would not start by walking into an IEP meeting and saying, “I want Handwriting Without Tears.”
Start with the need.
Maybe your child’s evaluation and classroom data show that they have significant difficulty with letter formation. Maybe handwriting is so slow that they cannot complete classroom assignments. Maybe their writing is frequently illegible. Maybe they’ve received general handwriting instruction and aren’t making adequate progress.
Put that information on the table first.
You might say something like:
My child’s evaluations and classroom work samples show ongoing difficulty with letter formation and handwriting legibility. I’d like the team to discuss what explicit handwriting instruction they need, how it will be provided and how progress will be measured. I’d also like the team to consider whether Handwriting Without Tears is an appropriate program for addressing these identified needs.
That is a much stronger IEP conversation than, “I read about this program online and I want it.”
If the team agrees that Handwriting Without Tears is necessary for the student to receive appropriate instruction, ask how that decision will be documented in the IEP. Don’t leave the meeting with everyone nodding enthusiastically about trying it sometime and then discover three months later that nobody actually knew who was supposed to do it.
You also want to know how often the instruction will occur, who will provide it, what specific handwriting skills are being addressed and how the team will measure whether it’s working.
And remember that the program itself is not the IEP goal. A student’s goal might address measurable letter formation, legibility, spacing or handwriting fluency. Handwriting Without Tears could be one method the team uses to teach that skill.
Handwriting Without Tears and OT
Because an occupational therapist created Handwriting Without Tears, parents sometimes assume that receiving the program means receiving occupational therapy.
Not necessarily.
School-based OT is a related service determined by the student’s disability-related educational needs. Handwriting Without Tears is a curriculum that can be used in different instructional models. Research has specifically examined both teacher implementation with OT consultation and collaborative teacher-OT implementation.
If you believe your child’s handwriting problems involve fine motor, visual-motor, motor planning or other areas that may require occupational therapy, ask the team to evaluate those suspected areas.
Don’t use the program name as a substitute for identifying the need.
And don’t let the reverse happen either. “We use Handwriting Without Tears” doesn’t answer a parent’s question about whether a child needs an OT evaluation.
Choosing the Right Handwriting Accommodations
Start with the actual problem.
If copying from the board is the problem, a pencil grip probably isn’t going to solve it. If the student knows what they want to write but cannot physically produce it fast enough, more time may help, but doubling the amount of time they spend struggling may not be much of an accommodation either.
Look at what happens during real school tasks. Is handwriting illegible? Is it extremely slow? Does the student experience pain or fatigue? Can they copy from a paper but not from the board? Does handwriting get significantly worse as an assignment gets longer?
The accommodation should match the need.
This is also why “extra time” isn’t enough for every child. Extra time is useful only if time actually solves the access problem.
Reduced Handwriting and Extended Time
Reducing handwriting demands can be appropriate without reducing academic expectations.
A student who needs to demonstrate a math concept may not need to handwrite 25 nearly identical problems to prove that they understand it. A student might complete fewer representative problems, dictate parts of an assignment, type longer responses or take breaks between sections.
The team should be specific about what is being reduced and why.
“Reduce written work” is too vague for my taste. Does that mean less physical handwriting? Fewer repetitive problems? Less written language? Less academic content?
Copying and Note-Taking Accommodations
Copying from a board or screen places different demands on a student than writing from a paper directly in front of them.
For some students, copying also consumes so much attention that very little is left for actually learning the lesson.
In those situations, the team might consider teacher-provided notes, digital copies of presentations, partially completed outlines, reduced board copying or another method of recording information.
The purpose of taking notes is usually to have the information and engage with the lesson. Producing a handwritten replica of the teacher’s PowerPoint is not, by itself, an academic achievement.
Handwriting Accommodations for Tests
For tests, ask one very important question: What skill is this test supposed to measure?
If it’s a handwriting assessment, handwriting obviously matters. If it’s a science test, a handwriting disability shouldn’t prevent the student from demonstrating what they know about science.
Depending on the student’s needs and the assessment, appropriate accommodations may include keyboarding, speech-to-text, a scribe, additional writing space, adapted paper, extended time, breaks or oral responses.
For standardized and state assessments, the team also needs to consider the specific testing rules. An accommodation used during regular classroom work isn’t automatically allowed on every assessment.
Handwriting Accommodations for Homework
If a child spends two hours completing what should be a 20-minute homework assignment because handwriting takes forever, that’s useful data.
It shouldn’t just become the family’s nightly problem.
Document what you’re seeing. How long does the assignment take? How much help is required? Does handwriting deteriorate after ten minutes? Is the student experiencing pain or fatigue? Can they verbally give you the answer immediately but spend several minutes trying to write it?
“Homework is a disaster” tells the team something.
“Ten math problems took 47 minutes because most of that time was spent physically writing the answers” tells them much more.
Homework accommodations might include reduced handwriting, keyboarding, speech-to-text, breaks, shorter assignments when appropriate or another way to submit responses.
Adapted Paper, Pencil Grips and Writing Tools
Some students benefit from relatively simple handwriting accommodations, such as highlighted paper, larger writing spaces, graph paper, visual spacing guides, slant boards or adapted writing tools.
But don’t assume every child with messy handwriting needs a pencil grip.
A student’s pencil grasp does not have to look textbook-perfect to be functional. Some students use a nonstandard grasp and write efficiently without pain, fatigue or difficulty.
If the student’s grasp causes pain, fatigue, poor control or difficulty completing school tasks, that’s something the team should evaluate. The longer pencil-grasp strategies that were previously in the handwriting material are better treated as possible instructional or OT strategies, not as a generic accommodation list.
Handwriting Accommodations for Older Students
Handwriting needs don’t disappear when a student gets to middle or high school. If anything, the amount and speed of written work often increase.
Older students may need accommodations for note-taking, essays, timed assignments, forms, tests and longer written responses. Keyboarding, electronic submission, teacher-provided notes, speech-to-text and other assistive technology may become increasingly important.
Functional handwriting may still matter for signatures, forms, labels, short responses and other daily activities.
But requiring a student to handwrite a three-page essay simply because everyone else is handwriting it isn’t automatically meaningful handwriting instruction.
Handwriting, Dysgraphia and Assistive Technology
Handwriting problems can involve much more than pencil grasp or hand strength. A student may have needs related to dysgraphia, fine motor skills, visual-motor integration, motor planning, reading, spelling, language or another disability-related area.
That’s why “practice handwriting more” isn’t an adequate response when a student continues to struggle.
If handwriting significantly interferes with schoolwork, the team should consider whether Assistive Technology is needed. AT can include both low-tech Assistive Technology and high-tech tools.
Depending on the student’s needs, that could mean adapted paper, a different writing tool, keyboarding, word prediction, speech-to-text or another method of producing written work.
Using assistive technology doesn’t mean the team has given up on teaching handwriting.
Handwriting Accommodation or Modification?
An accommodation generally changes how a student accesses instruction or demonstrates learning without changing the learning expectation itself.
Suppose the class is explaining the causes of the American Revolution. One student handwrites the response and another types it because of a disability-related handwriting need. Both students can still be expected to demonstrate the same understanding of the American Revolution.
A modification changes what the student is expected to learn or demonstrate.
This is why I don’t love vague accommodations such as “reduce written work.” The IEP should describe what is being reduced. If the goal is to reduce the physical act of handwriting while preserving the academic expectation, say that.
Specificity is your friend in an IEP.
Handwriting Strategies vs. Accommodations
Some of the things recommended for handwriting are actually instruction, interventions or strategies rather than accommodations.
Handwriting Without Tears, for example, is a handwriting instructional program. Tracing worksheets, hand-strengthening exercises, fine motor activities and explicit instruction in letter formation are also strategies or interventions rather than accommodations by themselves.
That doesn’t mean they’re bad. It means they serve a different purpose.
A student may receive explicit handwriting instruction and use adapted paper during that instruction while also using speech-to-text for a lengthy social studies assignment.
Again, it doesn’t have to be either/or.
Does My Child Need Occupational Therapy for Handwriting?
Maybe. But handwriting difficulty does not automatically mean a child needs OT.
If handwriting is slow, painful, illegible or inefficient, the team may need to evaluate fine motor skills, visual-motor integration, motor planning and other areas of suspected disability.
An OT evaluation may be one piece of that evaluation.
Instead of starting with “My child needs OT,” describe the problem you’re seeing.
“My child cannot complete classroom written assignments within the available time because handwriting is slow and physically fatiguing” gives the team something specific to evaluate.
IEPs are needs-driven. Start with the need.
Handwriting Goals and Accommodations Can Be Used Together
When a child lacks a skill, we can teach the skill and accommodate the lack of that skill while they’re learning it.
A child working on handwriting IEP goals can still type longer assignments. A student receiving OT can still use speech-to-text. A child practicing letter formation can still receive teacher-provided notes instead of spending the entire science lesson copying from the board.
If your child has broader motor needs, I also have a list of fine motor IEP goals.
The goal is for the child to have access to instruction while continuing to make progress.
They shouldn’t have to earn accommodations by first proving that they can function without them.