Here's some rambling thoughts about having to work at legible handwriting.
Back when I was worried about DS, I ordered -
http://shopping.hwtears.com/product/The_Print_Tool/assessmentsI really really like it - I've worked through it with DS and a nephew, just picking up what I could from reading the booklet, and it's a very straightforward way to analyse:
"What is it about my handwriting that makes it looks so bad!?!"
So many things in life, having a vocabulary to bring the unconsious to consiousness makes all the difference. Without vocabulary, there is a limit to the level of thinking that can me done. That's why I'm always creating or popularizing cute phrases to use here. I've been sensitive to this observation since reading Suzette Hadyn Elgin's 'Native Tounge' back in my early 20s.
What I noticed about my son's handwriting at 'back to school night' in 3rd grade was that his 'sloppy copy' work was about the same as everyone else's 'sloppy copy' - it was just that their 'final draft' was so much neater, but his was exactly the same.
Love and More Love,
Grinity
