In recent years, the handwriting seems to have become more and more of a skill neglectedespecially among young people. The growing diffusion of digital technology, with smartphones, tablets and computers, has led many children and teenagers to lose familiarity with pen and paper. According to several studies, this trend is having a significant impact not only on manual skills, but also on cognitive development.
Alarming data comes from the paper, pen and digital observatory of the Einaudi Foundation, which reports a 163% increase in cases of dysgraphia in the last ten years. Dysgraphia, a specific learning disability related to writing, manifests itself in difficulty writing legibly or fluently.
But Italy is not an isolated case given that in England a study by the National Literacy Trust on 76,000 children highlighted that only 10% write by hand every day against 50% just a decade ago. This loss of skill is not without consequences.
Write by hand stimulates the brain in a more complex way compared to typing on a keyboard, involving memory, attention and conceptual processing skills. International studies conducted in Norway, Japan and the United States have shown that manual writing improves text comprehension and the ability to personalize information, promoting greater concentration and creativity.
Handwriting as a means to consolidate fundamental skills
Educators and researchers point out that the phenomenon . Franco Lorenzoni, Italian master and author, proposes a return to manual activities to counteract this drift, stating that “the use of the hand is a form of intelligence”. Lorenzoni suggests rediscover tactile experiences such as working with clay, creating a vegetable garden or painting to develop cognitive and manual skills in synergy.
In Italy the debate has led to the creation of a parliamentary intergroup which proposes to establish the “National Handwriting Week” and to nominate calligraphy as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage. In England the president of the National Handwriting Association, Mellissa Prunty, has called for handwriting is also taught in secondary schoolsto stem the loss of this important skill.
Handwriting is not just a technical exercise, but a means of expressing oneself and consolidating fundamental skills. Rediscovering its value could represent a concrete answer to a problem that concerns the future of the young generations.
