Aug 30, 2010

Peterson Directed Handwriting


One product I was lucky enough to be offered for review is a personalized handwriting program by Peterson Directed Handwriting. I received a customized handwriting course for Princess Belle that was perfect for helping with instruction in her printing. One of the complications of having high-fuctioning Autism is that handwriting is a real problem for her. She struggles with it and has really hated any handwriting exercises that we have done in the past, but within 12 days of starting with Peterson Directed Handwriting, the difference in her ability to write numbers was incredible. I take out before and after samples of her work to show my friends when they come over. She likes doing the work and she has really begun to understand how to make her hands perform the detailed movements required in making her numbers, and the instances of backwards numbers has gone WAY down. I am so proud of her and so grateful for Peterson Directed Handwriting. I would love to continue on with the cursive writing when she gets through with the printing.

Peterson Directed Handwriting is inexpensive and it is thorough. It is a handwriting program that has been around since 1908, and it is vastly different from most other handwriting programs out there because it focuses on a multi-sensory approach. This ingrains the muscle movements involved in writing so deeply into the student that they don't ever have to "think" about writing again once they have been mastered.

I found their customer service to be wonderful, and they were more than willing to offer advice on how best to implement the service for Princess Belle. One of the best things about Peterson's is that they are passionate about your understanding of their writing system; how it works, why it works, and what products will best meet your needs. They are so passionate that purchase of the e-workbooks (and most of their other products) includes free one on one consultation. When I spoke to Mr. Rand Nelson, on a real-time internet voice chat, I was really impressed. He listens to your challenges, assesses your needs, and recommends the products that will work best with your children. And he's no skimp on time. He spent a lot of time with me discussing Princess Belle and her writing challenges. He even asked me to get back to him to let him know how I found the product given her Autistic difficulties. And he did all that with me having NO VOICE capability on my computer, so I had to type all my responses in manually.

They want to do all they can to help you achieve success. And everyone has access to a specialist who can provide support and suggestions that can get everyone moving toward improved fluency. You may purchase a training session or subscription through their web store or by phone.

I like that you can print the same pages over and over if your child needs a little more work on some letters than others. Your consultation is available free of charge as you purchase your writing books or at any time you might need guidance. I like the way the program works; it's multi-sensory, it breaks letters into small parts, and it uses the voice to guide the stroke. It's unique but successful. The multi-sensory approach really made all the difference to Princess Belle.

I was super-impressed with this product. I don't have enough words to express how much I LOVED it! It really was a wonderful fit for our family!

To check out Peterson's e-workbooks or their printed materials, go HERE.
Click here to see what other TOS Reviewers have to say!

Just to let you know: I received the product free of charge for review purposes but my opinions are my honest thoughts on the product.

2 comments:

Julie Coney said...

Great review! Glad to hear how it is working with Princess Belle!

Krissy said...

Your review is great! I loved this program too!!!

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