ONLINE PD COURSE
The Dysgraphia Blueprint for Teachers
Stop guessing with your struggling writers. Get the step-by-step classroom system to spot signs of dysgraphia, teach handwriting that sticks, and support every student – even if your school has no handwriting curriculum yet.
Intro + 6 modules
20+ bite-sized lessons (5–20 min each)
8 hours total with implementation
Action steps in every module
Certificate for 8 PD hours
Kindergarten to 12th grade
Handwriting is the #1 reason teachers ask for OT help.
So why were you never trained to teach it?
98% of school-based OTs say handwriting is the most common reason teachers refer students to them (Collmer, 2020). Yet only 12% of classroom teachers say they were ever trained to teach handwriting.
Many schools quietly stopped teaching it. But the expectations stayed: notes in every subject, timed essays, written work that has to be legible enough to grade.
So you end up here:
⚡ A student explains the whole chapter out loud, brilliantly. Then hands in a worksheet that says three words.
⚡ You've tried the pencil grip, extra time and less writing. It helped a little. The work still looks like it was written on a moving bus.
⚡ Every writing task turns into a shutdown, a meltdown or a page that comes back blank.
⚡ You're not sure if it's laziness, a learning difference, or something you're doing wrong.
⚡ The parent is in tears over homework, the IEP meeting is next week, and you're expected to have answers.
This isn't a "you" problem. It's a training gap.
Nobody taught you this part of the job. Now someone will.
What if you could see what's really going on behind the messy page?
The page only shows you the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface, writing depends on motor planning, letter memory, visual-spatial skills, language and working memory, all firing before a single letter lands on the line. A breakdown at any point looks the same on paper: messy, slow, effortful.
That's why "try harder" and "more practice" don't work. Once you can see where it's breaking down, everything changes:
✅ You spot struggling writers early, at any grade, instead of waiting for them to fall behind.
✅ You know when to teach the skill, when to accommodate, and when to bring in the OT or outside support.
✅ You support the whole class, small groups and individual students, without rebuilding your day.
✅ You walk into IEP meetings and parent conversations with data and a plan, not just a feeling.
That's why we built The Dysgraphia Blueprint for Teachers.
It's the complete classroom system for supporting struggling writers, from the first red flag to a plan the whole team can follow. We've taken the neuroscience of handwriting and turned it into strategies, checklists and templates you can use with your students next week.
This isn't another list of handwriting activities. It's the framework, the screening tools, the classroom strategies, the accommodations and the collaboration tools, all in one place.
Is this course for me?
Elementary teachers
You're the one who's supposed to build handwriting skills, often without a curriculum or any training. You want to catch struggling writers early and teach in a way that actually sticks.
Middle/high school teachers
Your students are expected to take notes, write essays and keep up, and some just can't get it on paper. You want accommodations that work and a way to tell "won't" from "can't."
Special education teachers and interventionists
You support the students who struggle most, and you're the bridge to the IEP team. You want a clear framework, better data and strategies at every tier.
✅ This is for you if... you teach anywhere from kindergarten to 12th grade, you have at least one student whose ideas never make it onto the page, and you're ready for a plan instead of another guess.
❌ This is NOT for you if... you're looking for a printable worksheet pack only. The Blueprint is a step-by-step system for understanding and supporting struggling writers. The printables are a bonus, not the main player.
From guesswork to a confident plan
You already know your students. What's been missing is a system that connects what you see on the page to what's going on underneath, and turns it into a plan you can act on.
Before the course
❌ "Is this laziness?"
❌ More practice, more worksheets
❌ A pencil grip and extra time for everyone
❌ No handwriting curriculum, no plan
❌ "I have a feeling something's off" at the IEP meeting
❌ Carrying it alone
After the Dysgraphia Blueprint course
You know the signs of dysgraphia at every grade and can explain them with confidence
Explicit, systematic instruction that builds automatic handwriting
The right support for each student: teach the skill, accommodate, or modify
Tiered strategies that fit into what you already teach
Data you've tracked and recommendations you can stand behind
A shared language with your OT, SLP and families
What You'll Get...
Built for a busy classroom
Short video lessons. 20+ lessons, about 6 hours in total. Most lessons are 5-20 minutes, so you can finish one during a planning period or after school.
The Dysgraphia Blueprint Workbook. Follow along, take notes, and reflect as you go.
Action steps to match your learning. Each lesson ends with an action item or activity for your own classroom, like designing a 4-week instructional plan or choosing three accommodations to start using right away.
Bonus Template Vault. With 20+ checklists, templates, handouts and tracking sheets – so you can save countless hours of research and preparation.
Certificate of completion for 8 hours of professional development.
What participants are saying...
What's Inside The Curriculum
An intro and six modules. One complete classroom system.
You'll start by choosing one student to keep in mind: a current or former student whose ideas never quite made it onto the page. Every module ends with an action item for your own classroom, so by the end you won't just have watched a course. You'll have a plan.
Intro — Sorting Facts from Fiction
Know exactly what dysgraphia is, how to spot it at every age, and why it matters for literacy.
After this introduction, you'll be able to:
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Explain what dysgraphia is (and isn't) in clear, simple terms to parents, colleagues and administrators, including how it's diagnosed and who belongs on the team
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Bust the most common myths about handwriting and dysgraphia, the ones that keep students from getting help
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Recognize the red flags at every age, from preschool to high school
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Tell dysgraphia apart from dyslexia, ADHD, autism, anxiety and dyscalculia
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Understand why handwriting matters for reading, spelling and overall literacy
🎯 You'll walk away with: A clear picture of the signs you've seen in the student you have in mind, and the words to explain them to anyone.
Module 1 — The Framework
What's Really Going On Behind Messy Pages
After this module, you'll be able to:
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Understand handwriting as a neurological skill, including the orthographic loop and the five brain systems behind writing
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Use the Writing Iceberg to see which skills above and below the surface affect a student's writing
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Tell which skills you can support directly in your classroom, and which need specialized help from your team
🎯 You'll walk away with: A map of what you can support in your classroom, and who on your team can help with the rest.
Module 2 — Identification & Screening
Know what to look for, and when to call in the experts.
After this module, you'll be able to:
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Screen students with simple formal and informal tools, and track what you find
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Use an observational checklist to capture how a student writes, not just what ends up on the page
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Understand evaluation reports from psychologists, OTs, SLPs and special educators
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Recognize the red flags that should prompt a referral
🎯 You'll walk away with: The confidence to screen a student, document what you see, and know when it's time to refer.
Module 3 — Classroom Strategies
Evidence-based approaches that actually stick.
After this module, you'll be able to:
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Teach handwriting effectively, with or without a curriculum, and know what to look for if your school is choosing one
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Match support to need at every tier (whole class, small group and one-on-one), with clear guidance for each grade from kindergarten to high school
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Follow a proven teaching order for letters, so practice builds on itself
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Pinpoint whether a student's barrier is physical, visual or cognitive, and build those foundations with simple activities and games
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Use the "Foundational Approach to Dysgraphia" to know what to work on first
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Make practice count, with the right time, space, tools and writing strategies
🎯 You'll walk away with: An implementation plan for your class (or school), and a 4-week instructional plan for your whole class or a small group.
Module 4 — Classroom Accommodations
Give students access without giving up on the skill.
After this module, you'll be able to:
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Decide confidently between remediation, accommodation and modification, and explain why
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Choose environmental and instructional supports that fit your classroom
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Use low- and high-tech tools (from slant boards and word banks to speech-to-text, word prediction and AI) and know when a student is ready for them
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Adjust workload and grading so students can show what they know, without lowering the learning
🎯 You'll walk away with: Three accommodations you'll put in place in your classroom right away.
Module 5 — Collaboration in the School
Stop carrying it alone, with the dream team for student success.
After this module, you'll be able to:
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Know who's on the team and what each person brings, from the OT and SLP to parents and the student
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Track the right data — at the right time, for the right reasons
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Walk into IEP and 504 meetings prepared, with data to back up your recommendations
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Help students understand their own needs and advocate for themselves
🎯 You'll walk away with: A communication system with your team for tracking data and working together.
Module 6 — Wrap Up & Last Steps: Your Final Blueprint
Turn everything you've learned into action.
After this module, you'll be able to:
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Pull everything together into your personalized action plan
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See how far your confidence has come since day one
🎯 You'll walk away with: Your completed dysgraphia action plan and your Certificate of Completion for 8 PD hours.
Bonus Template Vault
20+ plug-and-play resources to save you time
Skip hours of searching, formatting and reinventing. These resources are ready to use with your students, your team and your families, including:
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Handwriting Scope & Sequence: What to teach, how to teach it, and the order to teach letters, so you never have to guess what comes next.
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"Red Flags by Grade Level" chart (K–12) + informal teacher checklist: Spot struggling writers early and know when to refer, with photo examples of real student work.
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Letter Formation & Sizing Strategies handout + Pencil Grasp Progression Guide: Ready-to-use strategies for the issues you see most, including when (and when not) to use grips.
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IEP Documentation & Data Tracking Sheet: Document what you've tried and what's working.
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Student Self-Awareness Checklist: Help students catch their own errors and advocate for their needs.
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Parent handout: Dysgraphia vs. Dyslexia vs. ADHD: A clear, one-page explainer to share with families.
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Comprehensive Dysgraphia Action Plan for Teachers: Turn everything you've learned into a plan for your classroom.
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Parent communication templates: Ready-to-send emails to share concerns, explain accommodations, suggest an evaluation and follow up.
...and much more!
🏅 Professional Developmental Hours + Reimbursement
Earn a Certificate of Completion for 8 hours of professional development.
Use it to request reimbursement from your school or district. Almost every teacher from our course who has asked has gotten a yes. Handwriting affects writing and reading in every subject, so training that helps you support it pays off for your students, your school and your whole team.
Meet Kelli
I was an OT for nearly a decade. Then my own daughter was diagnosed.
"When my daughter was in kindergarten, I could spot her artwork on the school walls instantly. The details were vivid and incredible for her age. Yet I couldn't read a word she wrote.
The school told us to give her time. In first grade, she was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia. Her teachers cared deeply, and they were just as lost as I was. Nobody had ever trained them for this.
So I threw myself into the research, the training and the experts. What I found is that so many of these students fall through the cracks between the classroom, OT and SLP. And teachers, who see them every single day, are rarely given the tools to help.
This course is everything I wish had been there for my daughter's teachers, and for every child who comes after her."
Kelli Fetter, MS, OTR/L
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Certified Handwriting Specialist with advanced training in dysgraphia, dyslexia, executive function and learning disabilities
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Experience in schools, outpatient pediatrics and early intervention
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Well-versed in leading handwriting curricula, including Handwriting Without Tears, Size Matters and Because Neatness Matters
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Former adjunct professor of Pediatrics and Kinesiology
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Co-author of one of the first dysgraphia textbooks: "Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, & Dyscalculia in Pediatric Occupational Therapy" (coming in 2027)
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International speaker
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Founder of Handwriting Solutions, LLC
850+ students tutored · 2000+ educators empowered · 500+ therapists trained
More from teachers who've taken the course...
Your students are waiting.
You already know the student. The bright one with brilliant ideas who shuts down the moment a pencil is involved. The one who said "they were mad" when they had a whole paragraph in their head.
They don't need another year of "try harder." They need a teacher who can see what's really going on, and knows exactly what to do next.
🧭 The Dysgraphia Blueprint gives you that plan, from the first red flag to a classroom where every writer gets the support they need.
