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Cited by 423Reading and Literacy DevelopmentWriting and Handwriting EducationTactile and Sensory Interactions

The effects of handwriting experience on functional brain development in pre-literate children

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James, Karin H., Engelhardt, Laura·2012·Trends in Neuroscience and Education
DOI 10.1016/j.tine.2012.08.001PMC PMC4274624
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Abstract

In an age of increasing technology, the possibility that typing on a keyboard will replace handwriting raises questions about the future usefulness of handwriting skills. Here we present evidence that brain activation during letter perception is influenced in different, important ways by previous handwriting of letters versus previous typing or tracing of those same letters. Preliterate, five-year old children printed, typed, or traced letters and shapes, then were shown images of these stimuli while undergoing functional MRI scanning. A previously documented "reading circuit" was recruited during letter perception only after handwriting-not after typing or tracing experience. These findings demonstrate that handwriting is important for the early recruitment in letter processing of brain regions known to underlie successful reading. Handwriting therefore may facilitate reading acquisition in young children.

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  • Children who practiced writing by hand had better reading fluency and comprehension than those who practiced typing, particularly when learning letters and sounds.

    “Research found that children who practiced writing by hand had better reading fluency and comprehension than those who practiced typing, particularly when learning letters and sounds [24].”

    From The Neuroscience Behind Writing: Handwriting vs. Typing—Who Wins the Battle? (2025) · cites this paper as [24]

    The Abstract reports that handwriting, unlike typing, recruited a reading-related brain circuit during letter perception in preliterate children. But the Results (§3.1) say literacy tests were used only to check participants’ baseline performance, not to analyze training effects. The paper does not report better reading fluency or comprehension after handwriting, or a particular benefit when learning letter sounds. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cited by

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Authors
James, K. H., & Engelhardt, L.
Affiliations
Indiana University Bloomington (US)
Corresponding author
James, Karin H.
ORCID
Venue
Trends in Neuroscience and Education
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-12
Volume
1
Issue
1
Pages
32-42
ISSN
2211-9493 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.tine.2012.08.001
PMC
PMC4274624
OpenAlex
W1991553942
Cited by
423
References
9
Citations by year
2026: 47 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 25 · 2022: 48 · 2021: 30 · 2020: 44 · 2019: 28 · 2018: 29 · 2017: 29 · 2016: 36 · 2015: 28 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 3
FWCI
24.05
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Trends in Neuroscience and Education (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (R01HD057077)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Reading and Literacy Development
  • Social Sciences › Education › Writing and Handwriting Education
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
Keywords
handwriting, letter perception, reading acquisition, brain development, typing, letter tracing, early literacy

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