Angela Webb B.Ed (Hons.) MA, Chairman of NHA
Formerly a primary head teacher, Angela is now an independent psychologist who works exclusively with poorly coordinated children, both as part of a multi-disciplinary team at The Portland Hospital and as an advisor in schools. This has led to a particular interest in children who experience handwriting difficulties. She also lectures part-time at the Institute of Education, London University and is researching the link between handwriting problems and poor written composition.
She took over as chair of the NHA in 2006 and also coordinates the in-service training programme for teachers and therapists.
Anna Barnett BA (Hons.), PhD, Cpsychol. Reader in Psychology
Anna is a Reader in Psychology at Oxford Brookes University. Her research focuses on various aspects of perceptual-motor development but she has a special interest in Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and in the assessment, teaching and learning of handwriting. Anna has been involved in producing the second edition of the popular Movement ABC test and is principal author of the Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (the DASH). These tools are being widely used by health and educational professionals to identify and help children with movement and handwriting difficulties. Anna's other publications include work on the assessment, description and developmental course of DCD, the effect of brain damage at birth on later motor development, and the teaching of handwriting in primary schools.
Anna has been on the NHA committee since 1995 and is currently co-vice chair and editor for the journal, Handwriting Today.
Gwen Dornan Teachers Certificate, Diploma in Calligraphy RIHE
Gwen trained as a primary school teacher and worked as a mainstream teacher for a number of years. She took up calligraphy during a career break while her own children were small. This led to teaching the subject at adult college and also sparked a particular interest in children's handwriting. She continued to develop this interest when she returned to part-time teaching in schools and spent ten years, until 2000, specialising in the teaching of handwriting throughout the junior department (ages 4-11) of a girls' school. She now works with individual children needing help with handwriting.
Gwen has been a member of NHA since its early days, has served on the committee for a number of years and is currently Vice Chairman. She has written or co-authored the NHA publications: Which Handwriting Scheme and Writing Left-handed and edits the Tips for Handwriting. She is part of the INSET team.
Lois M Addy Dip. COT, SROT, BSc (Hons), MA
Lois Addy is a Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences, at York St. John University. She has over 26 years experience as a paediatric occupational therapist having worked in mainstream / special schools, and child development centres across the country. She has a particular interest in children with developmental coordination disorder (including dyspraxia) and her research in this area has included developing social skills, dyscalculia, handwriting, learning styles and physical education. This has been published and presented widely at both a national and international conferences.
Lois is on the editorial board of the CYPF-COT Specialist Sector and advisor/consultant for the National Handwriting Association.
Mary Chambers BA (Hons.), PGCE, MA, EdD Senior Lecturer in Special Educational Needs/Inclusive Education
Formerly a teacher of children with special educational needs, since 1996 Mary has worked in the School of Education at the University of Leeds and is a Senior Lecturer in Special Education/Inclusion. Her research focuses on various aspects of motor development with a special interest in Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Mary is the principal author of the Early Years Movement Skills Checklist – a screening instrument for children aged three to six years of age with coordination difficulties. Mary's other research includes work on the assessment, description and developmental course of DCD and intervention for children with DCD using parents and teachers.
Mary has been on the NHA committee since 2002 and is currently chair of the website subcommittee and a member of the journal, Handwriting Today, subcommittee.
Catherine Elsey Dip. COT, HPC Registered
Catherine qualified in Occupational Therapy in 1983 and has worked predominantly in neurology, specialising in paediatrics since 1997. Catherine assesses and treats children experiencing difficulties at school or at home to optimise their functional and learning potential. She has extensive experience working with children with specific learning difficulties, including Developmental Coordination Disorder (Dyspraxia), Attention Deficit Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Sensory Integration difficulty.
Catherine joined the National Handwriting Association Committee in 2005.
Mary Howard Dip.SpLD, Cert.Ed. MEd, PhD, AMBDA, Dip.O.T.
Mary is Education director of the 3D Centre for Specific Learning Difficulties (for Dyslexia, Dyspraxia and Dyscalculia) in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Mary initially trained as an occupational therapist and worked in paediatrics and psychiatry before becoming a teacher. She taught in special and mainstream settings from birth to secondary age and eventually joined the Assessment and Learning Support Service in Calderdale. When this was disbanded in 2000 Mary continued to work independently and set up the 3D Centre to provide assessment and tuition for children and training for school staff. She was one of the first cohort of students on the Diploma in Handwriting at the Institute of Education run by the NHA and now tutors on the course. She has a postgraduate certificate in developmental co-ordination disorder/dyspraxia and is currently researching for an MA in the assessment of dyslexia.
Mary is Hon Sec of the NHA, a member of the Inset Committee and administers the Tutor Register.
Amanda Kirby MBBS, MRCGP, PhD
Amanda is a Professor in developmental disorders in education at the University of Wales, Newport. She founded and has been running the Dyscovery Centre since 1997, an interdisciplinary centre providing assessment and intervention for children and adults with a range of developmental disorders including Dyspraxia (also known as DCD), ADHD, Dyslexia, Specific Language Impairment, Autism Spectrum Disorders and Behavioural issues. Her background as a GP and also working in community paediatrics and psychiatry has provided a good understanding of developmental disorders in both child and adulthood. She is also the parent of an adult with developmental disorders so has personal as well as professional experience of living with the difficulties.
She has lectured across the world at international seminars and spoken to 1000s of teachers, health professionals and parents. She is currently the patron of the Dyspraxia Association in New Zealand, Advisor to the Dyspraxia Association in Ireland and Medical Advisor to the Dyspraxia Foundation in the UK. She is on the learning disabilities group for the Royal College of General Practitioners. She has written extensively in the field of Developmental Disorders and her books include 4 books on Dyspraxia (DCD), skill packs for schools including a handwriting skills pack and a Mapping SEN (a CDROM programme).
Amanda is co-author of the Do-IT profiler, a detailed computerised assessment tool for schools and colleges that is being used internationally to understand individual's strengths and difficulties and study behaviours and provides detailed guidance and advice.
Amanda McLeod BA (Hons), PGCE, SpLD, AMBDA
Amanda McLeod originally trained as a Primary School teacher before becoming a Dyslexia specialisist. She now runs her own Centre for handwriting and touchtyping in Central London.
Amanda is a member of the sub-committees for publicity and in-service training.
Ann Markee MSCP (retired)
Ann Markee is a Children's Physiotherapist with a particular interest in DCD and handwriting. She has recently retired from the N.H.S. having worked at the Child Development Centre in Rugby for more than 30 years, where she set up a Handwriting Interest Group which included professionals from different disciplines.
Ann is the Regional Group Interest officer.
Christine Owen BScOT, MScOT, SROT
Christine Owen is Head Occupational Therapist of the Paediatric Occupational Therapy Service at St Johns Hospital in West Lothian (Integrated team across health, education and social work) and a Research Practitioner in the ACHIEVE Alliance, based at Queen Margaret University. Christine has worked in paediatrics for over 10 years, developing, among others, services for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), and she has recently completed her Masters in this area.
Currently Christine is seconded for two years and has taken up a role as Programme Leader for the new Post Graduate Certificate in Collaborative Working in Health and Education. Christine continues in her role as a research practitioner with the ACHIEVE Alliance Children's Pathway Project, implementing the findings of the review of evidence and models of practice employed by Allied Health Professionals in Scotland for children with Developmental Coordination Disorder.
Dorothy Penso
Dorothy was formerly an Occupational Therapist, particularly focusing on handwriting. Dorothy is the author of several books on handwriting and now co-ordinates the Friends of the NHA.
Sarah Rae ONC in Medical Physics
Sarah's background is quite different from the other members for several reasons. Firstly, she has had no formal training in any aspect handwriting as she has spent much of her time working in hospitals or as a research assistant at the Visual Development Unit in Cambridge. Secondly, the act of writing has always been a struggle – never the fast flowing, legible script. This gives her a great insight into the frustrations and limitations that those with handwriting difficulties experience. Sarah explains "although my own reluctance to write has held me back on many occasions it was only when my son started to experience even greater difficulties with handwriting and literacy that I set about compiling a guide to resources for children & adults with Specific Learning Difficulties. It was while I was researching and editing this publication that I came across the NHA."
Sarah has been a member of the NHA committee for nearly 10 years. Initially she was almost exclusively involved with the publicity side of things. In the last couple of years she has also joined the website sub-committee and the journal sub-committee.
Jane Taylor Dip.COT, Dip.Ed
Jane trained as an Occupational Therapist in the 50's and subsequently worked with children with cerebral palsy. After a break having three children, she worked with Beve Hornsby in the Dyslexia Clinic at St Bartholomew's Hospital and realised that time spent on mastering fluent handwriting was helpful in learning spelling, Equally important it was a skill that the majority of children could master and was a boost to their moral and self esteem.
Over the years Jane has given many lectures, workshops etc on the value of teaching correct letter formation from the outset. She was co author with Dr Jean Alston of the Handwriting File LDA, Handwriting – Theory, Research and Practice (Routledge), Handwriting Help Line (Left Handed Company. When she moved out of London she was asked by a local school to collaborate with the teachers to devise guide lines which could cater for the mixed abilities within the class. Jane enjoyed the challenge and as a swan song wrote Handwriting A Teacher's Guide Multisensory Approaches to Assessing and Improving Handwriting Skills (2001).
Jane is a founder member of the National Handwriting Association which, when it was first formed, was known as the Handwriting Interest Group.
Suzanne Tiburtius B.A., M.A. Teaching certificate, L.S.A Certificate in Teaching Foreign Languages to Adults
Suzanne moved down to Kent from Leicestershire where, after some time as a teacher in both primary and secondary schools in the county, she worked with the Schools Psychological Service which mainly focussed on dyslexic pupils. When the newly formed Cognition and Learning Service in Kent began its function in both primary and secondary schools in the county Suzanne was appointed as a member of the team, travelling to a designated number of schools and dealing mainly with issues of literacy.
Whilst working in primary schools Suzanne became aware of the very poor standards of handwriting, and developed her own approach to demonstrate that handwriting could and should be actively taught by teachers who knew what they were doing Suzanne was also very much involved with in-service training in the county, which inevitably revolved mainly round handwriting. She was particularly interested in helping the older pupils of 15 and 16.
Suzanne is now Information Officer for the NHA. and answers many individual queries from both parents with children who have handwriting difficulties and , growingly, from adults, some of whom are in professional jobs and do not want to be ashamed of their writing.
Hilary Cook Cert Ed, RSA Dip SpLD
Hilary worked for many years in mainstream primary education as a class teacher, deputy head, and specialist support teacher. Until recently she was the Inclusion Manager at a school in Hackney. During her eleven years in this post she worked with children with a wide range of physical, emotional and learning needs. Building and developing a well trained team of more than twenty Teaching Assistants was a key part of her job.
She has been the recipient of four Best Practice Research Scholarships and has carried out a number of school-based literacy and numeracy projects working with a research team from the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. She has also worked in collaboration with other professionals on the use of music and movement in the EY/FS. In 2006 she received a National Teaching Award as Special Needs Teacher of the Year.
Hilary joined the committee of the NHA in 2010. She is Honorary Secretary and INSET Liaison Officer.
Wendy Cumines Dip COT, MA SEN, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy
Wendy is an Occupational Therapy Lecturer at Cardiff University. Prior to this she worked for 23 years as a paediatric occupational therapist in a range of community, hospital and school settings across the UK. Wendy has extensive experience of working with children with motor and handwriting difficulties and with developing collaborative working practices between occupational therapy services and schools.
Wendy has recently joined the NHA committee as a sub-editor of the journal, with particular responsibility for the ‘Tips for teaching' section.
Lorrie Sugden B.Sc., M.Sc, Diploma in the Provision for Children with Developmental Disorders
Lorrie's Bachelor and Masters degrees are in Kinesiology from the University of California at Los Angeles. She is currently the SENCo and Learning Support Teacher for three schools within the Silcoates Foundation: Silcoates Junior School (KS1 and KS2), Sunny Hill (Early Years) and St Hilda's (Yearly Years and KS1).
Lorrie is responsible for editing the Reviews section of the NHA journal, Handwriting Today.
Robert Erhlander-Lawrence B.Sc., F.C.I.B. - Hon.Treasurer
Bob is semi-retired and has worked most of his life in the finance sector through banking (both home and abroad), insurance and lately accountancy. He is very active in education through his various maths and physics workshops for gifted and talented children.
Karen Nicholas
Our Finance Officer.
Lairaine Bateman
Our Administrator.