Hi Gwen, My son has no joints in his fingers because of a deformity at birth. He was in public school from age 3- 12. He was never taught cursive handwriting. I bought the Handwriting without tears , went through the book with him. 5 years later, he still practices, doesn't use it exclusively, and I think it is great. The issue might be: would you require him to use it all the time? My answer is whatever allows him the most efficient way to learn , not squelching his desire and leading him to his greatest potential. Always on a journey of knowing what is best for him, Kay