Frequently Asked Questions

It’s fully virtual. We've worked with students exclusively online for years — and we serve families nationwide and internationally.

We start with a brief parent consultation to understand your concerns and your child's background. Then your child works with our assessment specialist for about 60 minutes through a virtual evaluation covering physical, cognitive, and language skills. We also review writing samples from home and school (and might connect with their teacher if needed). Afterward, we meet with you to review results and build a customized plan together.

We've worked with 4-year-olds on pre-writing skills up through 22-year-old college students. We customize our approach for every age — playful and multi-sensory for younger kids, focused and age-appropriate for older students.

A computer with internet and a camera (built-in or external). The session runs on Zoom — no account needed. You'll also need access to a printer for a few pages we'll send.

We provide everything. Just print the pages we send, complete the online intake form, and show up. We'll send you the instructions after booking so you and your child feel ready.

We have a range of weekday availability and will work with your timezone to find the right fit. Click here to see the next available sessions. If none of these work for you, you can reach out to kelli@handwritingsolutions.org for alternatives.

You are in the right place! We serve students worldwide and even have a few international tutors. Just make sure you select your time zone during the booking and note that all pricing is USD.

Before your first session, we send you a materials list and any printables so your child has real, physical tools in hand (chalk, Wikki Stix, playdough, and more).  Then, over Zoom, your child works one-on-one with a live instructor who guides them through every movement in real time — demonstrating, coaching, and adjusting as they trace, build, pinch, and practice. Their hands stay busy. Their brain stays engaged. The instructor sees exactly what their pencil (or chalk, or fingers) is doing and gives immediate feedback, just like they would sitting next to them. Every session is tailored to your child and their grade level — no generic worksheets, passive watching or getting lost in a Zoom grid of twenty kids. Just hands-on, individualized instruction, with no commute or geographic limits. Whether you're in a major city or a small town with few local options, our trained instructors are right there in your living room.

We've worked with students as young as 4 on pre-writing skills, all the way up to 22-year-old college students looking to improve their handwriting. If your child (at any age) is struggling with handwriting, reading or spelling and needs support, we welcome them. We also customize our approach to fit the student in front of us. For younger children, sessions are playful and multi-sensory (think chalk, playdough, and movement) to keep little hands and minds engaged. For middle and high schoolers, we skip the kid stuff and meet them where they are, with age-appropriate instruction that respects their maturity while still making real progress.

Your child will work with one of our highly trained tutors, each selected for both their expertise and their genuine passion for helping students succeed. Our team brings together backgrounds in education, specialized instruction, and child development. Every tutor is trained in evidence-based instructional techniques and understands that no two children learn the same way. They create individualized, strengths-based learning experiences that meet your child exactly where they are — using multi-sensory activities, games, and creative approaches to keep kids engaged and motivated.

If you're reading this, you probably already have a feeling something's off — maybe your child's handwriting isn't where it should be for their age, or you've tried practicing together and aren't seeing real progress. Maybe a teacher flagged it. Maybe you're just tired of guessing. You don't have to figure that out alone. That's exactly what our assessment is for. Every student starts with a 60-minute virtual Handwriting Assessment before beginning tutoring. We dig into the why behind the struggle (physical, cognitive, language, and beyond) so we're never just treating symptoms. You'll walk away with a clear picture of your child's strengths and challenges, a comprehensive results report, and a customized remediation plan with recommendations for home, school, and beyond. From there, your child's tutoring sessions are built directly on that plan. No generic curriculum, no trial and error. Not sure whether to take that step yet? Start with a Free 15-Minute Consultation. We'll listen to what's going on and help you decide whether an assessment makes sense for your child — no pressure.

No. Formal diagnoses come from a neuropsychologist or educational psychologist, as that's their expertise. What we can do is provide a detailed assessment report that often plays a valuable role in that process. If you're pursuing a formal evaluation, our findings can help inform and support it. We also believe the best outcomes happen when everyone on your child's team is working together. So if your child has (or is building) a diagnostic team, we're happy to collaborate and share what we'll learn through our assessment.

Handwriting is just as important as reading when it comes to literacy. Reading is decoding, taking information in. Writing is encoding, showing what you know. When a child struggles with handwriting, it doesn't just affect their penmanship. It affects their academics, their self-esteem, and their overall literacy development. Becoming a fluent, automatic writer is an essential skill, both in school and in life. Technology can help bridge the gap for struggling students, but it doesn't replace the foundational writing skills they need to succeed. If your child is struggling with handwriting, they may also be facing challenges with reading or spelling. We offer reading and spelling assessments and tutoring in addition to handwriting support — so we can help identify and address the full picture of your child's literacy needs.

Some do, but many don't, or don't spend nearly enough time on it. Handwriting instruction has been quietly dropped from most curriculums, and less than 1 in 5 teachers feel prepared to support students with handwriting struggles or dysgraphia. They want to help — they just don't have the training, and with 25 kids in a room, individualized attention is nearly impossible. Meanwhile, the science is clear: handwriting plays a critical role in early literacy, reading development, and memory. So we have a generation of kids who need these skills more than ever, with less support than ever to build them. That gap is exactly why we exist. Whether your child needs full handwriting remediation or simply wants to learn cursive their school no longer teaches, we fill the gap the system has left behind.

You can, and some parents do. But most find it harder than expected to stay consistent, and kids aren't always eager to work for their parents (if you've ever tried to help with homework, you know). Here's the bigger issue, though: practicing the wrong way doesn't just waste time, it actually reinforces bad habits. If your child is starting letters from the bottom up, gripping the pencil too tightly, or reversing letters, repetition alone wires those patterns in deeper. A 10-minute daily practice session done incorrectly just teaches the brain to do it wrong faster. Our instructors are highly trained in the full picture of what goes into handwriting — motor, sensory, visual, language, and cognitive. They catch errors in real time, rewire motor plans correctly, and make sure every minute of practice actually moves your child forward. The result? The work sticks. And instead of guessing where to start (grip? letter formation? spacing?) you get a clear, guided path from someone who knows exactly what your child needs.

Each session is 40 minutes, structured to make every minute count: First 10–15 minutes: Foundational skills work that prepares the brain and body for learning. Next 20–25 minutes: Targeted handwriting instruction and remediation based on your child's current goals. After the session: Your tutor spends about 5 minutes sharing progress and updates with you — via text, email, or a quick call, whichever you prefer.

Most students attend handwriting tutoring 2 times per week. Total duration depends entirely on your child's needs. Some kids just need a boost and a few months of explicit instruction to get on track. Others need to start at the foundations and build up to grade-level standards, which can take 6 months to a year or more. Consistency and carryover is key here. Your child's plan will be tailored to where they are and where they need to go and we'll keep you informed every step of the way.

It's rare, since our tutors are skilled at building rapport quickly. But if it's not the right fit, just let us know. We'll try to match your child with a different tutor. The right relationship matters, and we want your child to feel comfortable and supported every session.

Payment for the initial assessment is made directly through our website when you book your appointment. For weekly 1:1 tutoring, your first invoice will be sent shortly after your schedule is confirmed. After that, invoices go out around the 25th of each month for all sessions scheduled in the upcoming month. We accept payment via credit card or ACH, and you can set up autopay directly in your tutoring dashboard. Need to adjust your schedule? No problem, just let us know before the 20th of the month to make changes for the following month. If you need to cancel a session, just give us at least 24 hours' notice and you'll receive a credit for the lesson. That credit can be used to schedule a replacement session within the same month, or it'll be deducted from your next invoice.

Homework help services may seem cheaper, but they lack the specialized focus needed to address specific challenges. On the other end, other private therapies often charge $150-250 per session, which puts ongoing support out of reach for many families. Our approach combines expert instruction with a supportive environment tailored to your child's needs, all while keeping it as affordable as possible. With our proven programs, your child can build essential skills, gain confidence, and achieve lasting academic success.