New Vision Therapeutic

Al Capone and Forensic Handwrting Analysis

Wed, 04 May 2016 12:25:08 GMT

Did you know that it was forensic handwriting analysis that was key evidence in bringing down the Chicago gangster Al Capone? Federal Treasury Agents worked to gather evidence that Capone failed to pay his income taxes. Bureau of Revenue investigator Frank Wilson discovered that Capone did not maintain a bank account and never signed any checks or receipts. Although Capone lived a lavish lifestyle there was no evidence that he had any income. A key witness against him was a handwriting expert who compared handwriting on a ledger with that on deposit slips tying Capone to monthly income from a gambling hall. With this evidence they were able to convict Al Capone of income tax evasion and finally send him to prison.

What's Revealed in a Person's Signature?

Wed, 27 Apr 2016 12:24:19 GMT

How a person writes their signature tells a lot about how the person presents themselves to the world.. The analysis of a signature reveals how the person appears to be in public. The body of a page of writing reveals the real person. The signature reveals how they want to be perceived. This may be basically the same or it may be quite different from the body of the page of writing.

For example many famous people write their signature large and with extra large

capital letters with flourishes because they want to appear important and with showmanship. Some signatures are impossible to read because they are scribbled or are only a line or only one or two letters stand out. If you can not read the signature it is because the individual is not interested in revealing themselves or communicating with the reader about who they are.This may also be because they are rushed for time.It is likely both reasons. If the signature is quite different from the body of writing on a page it means that you are not seeing the real person but a persona. A person who wants to communicate clearly and let you know who they are will write with a describable signature.

Some people scribble their signature because they think it will be more difficult for someone to forge however it actually makes it easier as the forger does not have to be as careful in copying the signature.

What Does it mean When a Person Crosses out their Signature?

Tue, 08 Sep 2015 12:23:28 GMT

Now and then I come across someone who has crossed a line through their signature. Sometimes the entire signature has a line or several lines through it,

Sometimes just the first name or the last name is crossed through. What does this say about the writer?

A line or even several lines crossing out the signature alerts me to the fact that the person is dealing with a desire to remake them self.
Sometimes a line is crossed just through the first name which means the desire is in regard to remaking their personal self.
If the line is only through the last name the desire is in relation their social self or the family name. This can occur when a woman is getting a divorce. She does not want to be associated with her husband or her husbands name
If the signature is crossed so much that it is hard to tell what the name is, there is a problem that needs to be addressed as the person is literally crossing them self out. Fortunately I do not see this very often. Have you ever seen it? Do you do this?

Original versus Copied Documents

Fri, 14 Aug 2015 12:22:42 GMT

When submitting questioned handwriting documents the handwriting expert will ask for the original document. Original documents are always best because they provide the clearest visibility of the strokes ,pen lifts, pressure, eraser marks and other factors in the writing.

Unfortunately, very often, original documents have been destroyed or lost. The handwriting expert can work with copies and most often must do so. Original documents are ideal but not necessary to determine authenticity of a writing. Be sure to provide the best copy available of the handwriting. A scanned version is preferred over a faxed one as faxed copies often lack strong definition.

Robert Durst Handwriting Controversy, Is it his or is it not his?

Thu, 16 Apr 2015 15:00:49 GMT

Have you seen the handwriting samples of Robert Durst that are being used in his upcoming court case?

Not only are the murder cases for which he is charged controversial but the use of handwriting as evidence is also controversial. You can be sure the defense will do their best to discredit the use of the handwriting samples.

A couple of things that should be kept in mind are:

Handwriting is only one piece of evidence and cases are decided on the preponderance of the evidence not just single pieces of evidence
As with any profession, skills and abilities can vary so it is important to know the credentials, reputation and experience of the handwriting expert.

There are many times throughout history where handwriting played an important part in an investigation and trial. Did you know that handwriting helped in the conviction of Al Capone? His bookkeeper kept all the receipts from a front business owned by Mr. Capone, a cafe in Chicago. The Federal Government found a receipt that a handwriting expert testified was signed by Al Capone and he was charged and convicted of fraud.

There are times when a handwritten piece of paper is the only evidence left behind in a crime. For example, was this suicide note written by the deceased?

Who wrote the long rambling note left behind in the Ramsey case?

There are countless other handwritten ransom and threat notes used in criminal as well as civil cases throughout history.

Handwritinganalysis expected to figure in Durstcase -...

www.latimes.com

https://www.latimes.com/local/crime/la-me-0318-durst-20150318-story.html

National Handwriting Day

Fri, 23 Jan 2015 15:59:53 GMT

Today , January 23rd, is National Handwriting Day so I want to share a fun and informative link on the history of handwriting.The article was published in 2012 but I am betting you didn't see it. It is very interesting to review how handwriting evolved in America.

www.history.com/.../a-brief-history-of-penmanship-on-national-handwriting-day

One of the best sourc es of information on cursive handwriting is Campaign for Cursive.com Here you will find information on peer reviewed research, help for teaching cursive, top 10reasons why cursive is important, and much much more. You can also find how to find and contact you legislators and local schools districts.\

Does Cursive Handwriting Need to Be Taught in A High Tech World

Tue, 20 Jan 2015 15:58:39 GMT

National Handwriting Day is Friday January 23rd so I decided to write again about the importance of cursive handwriting. It is not only important to learn as a skill but more importantly it is a principle to the learning process itself,

My background: I am a certified Graphoanalyst with over 25 years of experience working as a handwriting expert. I have a masters degree in Human Service Administration. I have six years of experience working in both the public and private sectors of education and have worked with teens with developmentally delayed and high risk concerns. I enjoy substitute teaching.

Does Cursive Handwriting Need To Be Taught In A High Tech World?

You may not have noticed but cursive handwriting is quickly becoming a skill of the past. Many schools are choosing to eliminate handwriting instruction from their elementary classrooms. Controversy is growing over the role handwriting and keyboarding instruction will have in the classroom, particularly in the elementary grades where students are still developing their reading, writing and motor skills. The controversy was addressed earlier this year by an Educational Summit held in Washington, DC titled "Handwriting in The 21st Century."

The Department of Education Common Core State Standards for education was developed in 2010. These common core practices apply to English language arts and Mathematics. The standards represent a set of expectations for student knowledge needed to succeed in college and careers. Keyboarding is listed as a skill that students must acquire, manuscript handwriting is minimally addressed and cursive is excluded altogether. These major changes serve to increase the controversy over the roles of handwriting and keyboarding instruction in elementary schools. Cursive handwriting has long been a cornerstone of education yet the elimination of cursive handwriting has been based largely on assumptions including the assumption that keyboarding skills are superior to handwriting skills.

Today the Common Core State Standards allow each state to decide whether to include cursive handwriting in their curriculum. Given the choice more and more states have been choosing to eliminate cursive handwriting instruction from their schools. Some feel that teaching cursive is "old fashioned" and a waste of time.

Others believe that it should continue to be taught. Regardless of your point of view, you should be concerned about the removal of handwriting from the curriculum because these changes are occurring without adequately researching the possible consequences for the young learner. At the heart of the controversy is the lack of evidence regarding how the elimination of cursive handwriting will impact learning and education in general. Much of the education research that has been conducted by universities has focused on technology and literacy. Little regard has been given to the interrelationships of handwriting development and reading, spelling and composition. As a result many kids educated in the last two decades cannot write in or even read cursive. Many policy decisions were made without researching the possible impact on young students who are still developing their reading, writing, and motor skills. Specifically, how these skills relate to cursive handwriting instruction. That may be changing. The Educational Summit titled "Handwriting in the 21st Century" held in Washington, D.C. included the attendance of professors, neuroscientists, teachers and interested citizens. Presenters shared cross-disciplinary handwriting research and attendees voiced their opinions about whether-and how-this skill should be taught. Through presentations and workshops, attendees learned how handwriting is a foundational skill that helps children develop in other areas, such as reading, writing, memory, and critical thinking. Several neuroscientists presented findings ranging from handwriting and occupational therapy to neuroscience research that documents the impact of handwriting on kids' learning. In a survey at the conclusion of the summit, 85 percent of the attendees believe that handwriting instruction is "very important" in the 21st century. A majority responded that handwriting should be taught from Kindergarten through 5th grade. All of the research presented at the conference indicates that teaching handwriting is beneficial. Although the conference was sponsored by a handwriting curriculum company, the presenters came from a broad range of fields and presented a convincing case. One of the most remarkable findings came from Karin Harman-James at Indiana University. She presented research she conducted using MRI scans of children's brains. Her research which was conducted in 2012 showed that writing by hand activated parts of the brain associated with language development, while keyboarding did not.

Anyone interested in more information about learning cursive handwriting and some of its effects on the brain many published research articles are available for perusal on the internet. As well as a few research studies on how keyboarding affects the brain. Neuroscience tell us that all of our habits create neuropathways in the brain and that new habits can change the brain well into old age. In addition, some neuroscientists have published books which have sections describing how handwriting and hand printing effects the learning process including memory. Two of these books are;

The Hand: How its Use Shapes the Brain, Language and Human Culture,

by Dr. Frank R. Wilson. His book describes in detail the pivotal role of hand movements in the developing of thinking and language capacities. He says that learning to write in cursive is important in "developing deep feelings of confidence and interest in the world-all-together, the essential prerequisites for the emergence of the capable and caring individual." Considering the bullying problem and the lack of empathy many teachers are noticing in their students, could it be that learning cursive handwriting has an effect on the area of the brain that develops empathy and tolerance for others? We don't know...yet. Do you think it is important to find out?

Another book is,

The Brain That Changes Itself by neuroscientist Norman Doidge. His book discusses the subject of neuroplasticity, how the brain changes and develops neuropathways in relation to habit changes and repeated actions. His research describes how handwriting and keyboarding require different actions and effect the brain in different ways. Dr. Dodge has said, "When a child types or prints, he produces a letter the same way each time. In cursive, however, each letter connects slightly differently to the next, which is more demanding on the part of the brain that converts symbol sequences into motor movements in the hand. Each of these actions creates different neuropathways in the brain,

In summary, much controversy exists regarding the importance of learning cursive handwriting. Evidence is building that indicates the brain is effected and changed in ways we never realized. Brain research is constantly providing new revelations. Research in this area needs to be encouraged and funded. Changes in curriculum that impact how kids learn and retain knowledge need to be carefully examined and evaluated prior to being implemented. At present most school districts can still decide if they want to teach cursive handwriting. Where does your school district stand? If you think cursive handwriting is important to learn contact your child's teacher or school administrator and express your concern. Some states are reinstating cursive handwriting into their education curriculum. The beautiful State of North Carolina not only requires cursive handwriting lessons in their curriculum requirements but added the memorization of the multiplication tables as well. Frankly I didn't know the memorization of the multiplication tables were no longer required, did you?

If you believe that teaching cursive handwriting is important you can contact your State legislator and ask what they know about this change in curriculum. Ask if they have seen any research studies and what their opinion is of the change. You may find they are not aware of the change. Explain your concerns, give them a list of States that have reinstated cursive handwriting into their language arts requirements.

You can find these States on the internet or I am happy to provide the list for you per your request.

You can find more information on cursive handwriting on the website Campaign for Cursive.I encourage you to become a member.

Research Indicates Why It Is Important For Kids To Learn How To Write In Cursive

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 14:57:32 GMT

Thanks to the discovery of neuroplasticity we now know that groups of neurons in the brain create new connections and pathways among themselves every time we acquire a new skill. Before we discard cursive handwriting as no longer necessary we need to examine what research is indicating regarding cursive and the affect it has on the brain.

Dr. Frank R. Wilson, a leading neurologist, published a remarkable book which was nominated for a Pulitzer prize, The Hand: How its Use Shapes the Brain, Language and Human Culture (New York: Pantheon Books, 1998) He describes in detail the pivotal role of hand movements in particular in the development of thinking and language capacities, and in developing deep feelings of confidence and interest in the world-all-together, “the essential prerequisites for the emergence of the capable and caring individual.” He explains that although the repetitive drills that are necessary for cursive handwriting lessons seem outdated, such physical instruction will help students to succeed. He says you can’t separate what’s in the mind from what’s in the body and that teachers should not try to “educate the mind by itself or much of the knowledge will be poorly processed and inadequately learned.”

Karen Harman-James, assistant professor psychology and neuroscience at Indiana University conducted research using handwriting and keyboarding and MRI scans of children’s brains. Her research which was conducted in 2012 revealed that in the children who had practiced printing by hand, the neural activity was far more enhanced and “adult like” than in those who had simply looked at the letter. She said that, “It seems that there is something really important about manually manipulating and drawing out two dimensional things we see all the time.”

Virginia Berninger, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Washington in Seattle asserts that handwriting has a value beyond its basic utilitarian one. She says the physical process of making letters by hand more powerfully embeds written-language- making skills in children’s brains than pressing keys does.

R. Shadmehr and H. Holcomb or John Hopkins University published a study in Science Magazine showing that their subject’s brains actually changed in reaction to physical instruction such as cursive handwriting lessons. The researchers provided PET scans as evidence of these changes in brain structure. Further, they also demonstrated that these changes resulted in “an almost immediate improvement in fluency”, which led to later development of neural pathways. As a result of practicing motor skills, the researchers found that knowledge becomes more stable.

I have not found any research on how keyboarding affects the brain but it is equally important to understand it's affect on the brain and the learning process. Especially if it is to be the basic form of future writing.

What Does It Indicate About Personality When a Person Always Prints When Asked to Write

Fri, 13 Jun 2014 14:54:15 GMT

This is a question I often get when talking to people about handwriting analysis.

How does the personality of a person who always prints differ from the personality of a person who writes in cursive?

Every personality is unique, no one aspect of the writing stands alone.

People who print and prefer to print are preoccupied with the accurate communication of facts unaltered by imagination. They have learned to leave their feelings out of their communication. They generally are not comfortable discussing their personal feelings. It can be difficult to get to know the printer well. Many anonymous notes are printed, often all in caps. Printers like to have control and they can have a difficult time bonding with others. This does not mean that they do not have feelings or don't bond with others just that it is not their strong suit so to speak. They are more comfortable with facts than with feelings. They are highly visual. Many artists print as do technical writer's, accountants, nurses and other professionals whose work requires a high degree of accuracy.

You can see how printing fits in well with technological devices such as smart, phones, tablets, and computers of all types. The stead y increase in printers over they last fee decades may even be a result of these devices. It would make for an interesting research study.

Print Writers and The High Tech World

Wed, 19 Mar 2014 14:53:00 GMT

More people are writing in print script everyday. How does this fit with communication in a high tech world?

People who print and prefer to print are preoccupied with the accurate communication of facts unaltered by imagination. Printers are visual learners, and they constantly strive for efficiency.

They like speed in performance. They are direct in their communication, they do not beat around the bush, and they expect the same approach in return.

Printers prefer simplicity in their lifestyle. They often are artistic and intuitive. They do not mind working alone on projects. It is important to printers to have control and they tend to leave their emotions out of situations. For these reasons it can be difficult to get to know them. In fact people who print all in caps do not want others to know who they are. Many anonymous notes are printed in all caps.

Handwriting is shaped by the era in which one grows up. Today we live in a stripped down, fast moving world. Our styles of handwriting have changed over the decades and handwriting from the time periods reflects our cultural changes.

Tamara Plakins Thornton has written a book, Handwriting in America /A Cultural History,

published by Yale University. Her book is an excellent review of the history of handwriting and the cultures in which each style was written. As an extreme contrast, it is interesting to compare the ornate handwriting from Victorian times with the increase in print script in these high tech times. You can literally see the changes.

Personality and The Print Writer

Mon, 03 Mar 2014 15:51:19 GMT

Many of you are aware that more and more people are printing today rather than writing in cursive. I am often asked what handwriting analysis reveals about the personality of printers.

Printing fits very well with our high tech world and is reflective of the culture we live in. The models and styles of handwriting have changed over the decades and handwriting from the time periods reflect our cultural changes.For example,look at handwriting from Victorian times with it's ornateness and compare it with today's almost stick like hand printing. It is easy to see a huge difference.

People who print and prefer to print are preoccupied with the accurate communication of facts unaltered by imagination. They are visual learners and are often artistic. They prefer to get straight to the point when speaking and acting and want the same response in return.

Printer's usually are highly efficient. They will not waste time or resources and will seek the quickest method to achieve results. They like simplicity and often have good taste.

Printer's can find it difficult to bond with others as they prefer to leave their feelings out when communicating. They like to have control over situations and over their environment. They enjoy working independently.

Printing in all caps reveals the person who does not want others to know who they really are. Many anonymous notes are printed.

How does this fit with the printers you know? Are you a printer?

Common Core Standards and Uncommon Cursive

Thu, 23 Jan 2014 15:49:44 GMT

Today is National Handwriting Day. My article, Common Core Standards and Uncommon Cursive was recently published and is available on the internet. I hope you will read it and let me know your thoughts on the subject.

Are you aware of the fact that writing in cursive and typing on a keyboard create different neuropathways in the brain? Studies are indicating that learning to write in cursive has a strong effect on the learning process, especially in areas of reading and memorization.

The need to learn keyboarding skills is obvious. However, the need to learn how to write in cursive, while less obvious, is no less important. Neuroscientists are examining and have published studies on cursive handwriting’s effect on pathways in the brain, particularly with young learners. Many of these are available on the internet using search terms cursive handwriting and brain studies.

An excellent blog, dated May 2013, regarding teaching cursive and it's effect on his students is posted by Dr. David Sortino. Dr. Sortino holds a Master’s degree in Human Development from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Clinical/developmental Psychology from Saybrook University. In addition, Dr. Sortino holds learning handicapped, resource specialist and multiple subject teaching credentials. He consults with parents and schools in the areas of achievement motivation and school success. His blog provides his first hand experience and some interesting results from teaching cursive handwriting to his students.

Dr. David Sortino Brain research and cursive writing/blog

We don’t yet know how changing from cursive to mostly keyboarding is affecting young learners brains but evidence is mounting that indicates that caution must be taken before discarding cursive handwriting from our nation’s primary grade education.

Cursive Handwriting and Common Core Standards

Fri, 15 Nov 2013 15:48:00 GMT

The Common Core Standards for education are beginning to be rolled out in schools across the country. Many people are unaware that the Language Arts section of the Common Core standards has omitted cursive handwriting as a subject that must be taught. Keyboarding is a required course. The need for keyboarding skills is obvious. The need to learn cursive handwriting while less obvious is also important.

The reduction in instruction time for cursive handwriting has slowly and subtlety taken place. Sometime in the 1980’s cursive handwriting began to receive less and less classroom instruction. It changed from the excessive two hours a day in the forties and fifties to the current fifteen minutes two or three times a week. Schools often start teaching cursive at the end of second grade and little instruction extends after the third grade. Since cursive isn’t stressed after third grade students are not given enough practice to make cursive writing a habit. As a result many kids educated in the last two decades cannot write in or even read cursive. Many cannot even sign their name in cursive instead they use block printing.

Little regard has been given to the interrelationships of handwriting development and reading, spelling and composition. The past two decades of decline in learning to write in cursive has paralleled the nations last two decades of declining scores in reading comprehension. Handwriting can change how children learn and how their brains develop.

Researchers are trying to understand why units of language are affected differently when hands write by pen and by keyboard. Handwriting experts know that handwriting is actually brain writing as it is the brain that directs the strokes on the page. Neuroscientists are studying how handwriting actually affects the brain.

Psychiatrist and neuroplasticty expert Dr. Norman Doidge author of the book The Brain That Changes Itself explains, “When a child types or prints he produces a letter the same way each time. In cursive however, each letter connects slightly differently to the next, which is more demanding on the part of the brain that converts symbol sequences into motor movements in the hand.”

He also explains, “Sure in the 1980’s there were things that were part of a kind of classical education that people did away with because they thought that they were irrelevant like an almost fanatical attention to elocution and handwriting or memorizing long poems. But, it now turns out that what these activities did is, "they exercised very important parts of the brain that allow you to think in long sentences, have deep internal monologues and a certain amount of grace in all kinds of expression. And probably a lot of damage was done by doing away with these exercises that were there for good reasons we didn’t understand.”

Few would argue that deep internal monologues, memorizing, and grace in all forms of expression are becoming lost or certainly on the wane in our culture today. rumbff? Text talk for, Are you my best friend forever? Texting has created a new language which is rather reminiscent of primitive forms of writing.

Do You Really Know Who You Are Hiring?

Wed, 03 Jul 2013 08:44:39 GMT

By: Linda Spencer, MS: Posted on Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Enhancing Hiring:
The Power of Handwriting Analysis in Small Business

If you are a small business owner you know that every time lose an employee your company productivity goes down and morale goes down plus you have the frustrating job of placing a new ad and interviewing and checking backgrounds. Certainly not how you want or need to spend your time. You can avoid this costly, time consuming and disruptive situation by using personality testing through handwriting analysis. It is estimated that a hiring mistake costs a company $8,000 or more depending on the level of the job position.

The good news is many people are underemployed or unemployed so you have the fortunate opportunity of choosing the cream of the crop from many great job applicants. However, you also have the overwhelming task of sorting through all those applicants, deciding who to interview, checking references and conducting required background checks to protect the safety of the public and your other employees.To make your job more difficult, resumes may exaggerate credentials and background checks reveal only those whose illegal acts have been caught breaking the law. Even references from past employers can sometimes be unreliable.

The real challenge when you are interviewing is to get behind the candidates interview personality. Those who are the most impressive during the interview are not always who they seem to be. You may have had the experience of discovering that the person you hired is very different from the person who shows up on the job. For example, the person you interviewed was pleasant and unassuming and eager to work on a team. The person who shows up on the job is loud and arrogant and wants to do things his way, and thinks the rules do not apply to him. Definitely not the team player you thought you were hiring and really need for your projects.

For these reasons and many more, most companies do some type of assessment testing to find a candidate who is most likely to succeed in the job, fit in with the company culture, and hopefully become a highly productive and long term employee. One of the best personality tools available today is Graphoanalysis, handwriting analysis. This method is cost effective, easy to administer and highly accurate and its effectiveness is measurable over time.

It is estimated that a hiring mistake costs a company $8,000 or more depending on the level of the job position. What's more a bad hiring decision occasionally becomes a major public relations and legal problem for the company. If you are a small business owner you know you have even more to lose. An investment in personality assessment is well worth the cost especially considering what's at stake if your new hire becomes a liability instead of an asset. If you would like to learn more about using handwriting analysis as a tool to help you hire, train and motivate your employees please email me @thewriteapproach@ameritech.net or contact me through this blog.

Why is Printing Replacing Cursive Writing?

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 08:22:20 GMT

By: Linda Spencer: Posted on Monday, June 17, 2013

Cursive Conundrum:
Debating Its Role in Modern Education

There are many people who can not write in cursive today as well as many who can not read cursive. There are a myriad of reasons why this is so. Perhaps the biggest reason is because very little time is spent teaching cursive handwriting anymore. Some teachers do not know how to write in cursive because it is not taught as a part of the schooling for elementary educators. Does it matter? There is a lot of controversy about the importance of learning to write in cursive. Some people think it is outdated and unnecessary. Others think it is still relevant and important to education. For certain it should not be dropped from elementary curriculum without knowing what, if any, impact it has on the learner.

To know how learning to write in cursive and learning to only print or text effects the brain and thus the learning process we turn to the experts, in neuroscience. There are many neuroscience research studies demonstrating how the act of learning to write in cursive enhances the learning process itself. You can find a wealth of information on this subject by simply entering learning to write in cursive and what neuroscience studies have to say about how it effects the brain.

A couple of places to start are:

What Learning Cursive Does for Your Brain , published on March 14, 2013 by William . Kiemm a professor of Neuroscience at Texas A&M University, published in Memory Medic

Printing, cursive, keyboarding: What's the difference when it comes to learning?

a study by Indiana University neuroscientist Karin Harman James written by Tracy James and published in IU Home pages

Handwriting in the 21st Century/ an Educational Summit

Signatures What Your Signature Says About You

Sun, 19 May 2013 08:10:20 GMT

By; Linda: Posted on Sunday, May 19, 2013

Signature Styles: Unveiling Identity and Intent

Signatures are rather like a person's trademark. In fact in some cases signatures such as WK Kellogg, Jim Beam and Walt Disney they are the company trademark.

Signatures indicate what the person wants to show the world about themselves. They can be highly revealing. Signatures should be legible. Illegible signatures indicate that the writer does not care to communicate who they are. Occasionally a person will write with only a long line or scribbles thinking that this will make it very hard for anyone to forge their signature. However, scribbled signatures are easier to forge as they have few specifics to identify. Another reason why your signature should be legible.

When looking at a signature notice the size of the capital letters on the first and last names.

The first name relates to the individuals personal self. The last name relates to the family or social self. If the capital on the first name is larger than the capital on the last name it means that the individual wants emphasis on his or her self personally. For example. Jim Smith want to be known as Jim. He is proud of being Jim. If the capital is larger on the last name, it says the person wants to be known by his or her family name. So what would you say it may mean if a married woman writes her first name capital much larger than her married name capital? Or if a person runs a line over or crosses out their last name?

When a person crosses out their name it indicates dissatisfaction with who they are or a desire remake the self. It is not a happy sign.

The Two Types of Handwriting Analysis Explained

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 07:34:20 GMT

Linda: Posted on Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Script Secrets: Forensic vs. Graphological Analysis

Many people do not realize that there are two types of handwriting analysis. Although both types of handwriting analysis work with handwriting they are completely different in their purpose and methodologies.

One type is Forensic Handwriting Analysis which is used to determine the authenticity of a signature or some other questioned handwritten document, note, page or graffiti. This type of handwriting analysis is typically referred to as Questioned Document examination or Handwriting Authentication handwriting analysis.

The Second type of handwriting analysis is Graphoanalysis or graphology. This type of handwriting analysis is used to determine the character and personality of the writer. This type of handwriting analysis is often used in business as a tool to help in the selection of employees, as well as a tool for counselors to gain early insight into their client's problem. Many individuals have their handwriting analyzed to better know and understand themselves.

Although both types of handwriting analysts work with handwriting they are completely different in their purpose and methodologies. The forensic document or handwriting expert is concerned only with the physical characteristics of a handwriting. They exam handwriting to find similarities or dissimilarities in the writing strokes, shapes, formations, connections, spacing, and many other peculiarities of the handwriting. They work with a variety of scientific instruments including stereo microscopes, magnifiers, scientific gauges and other tools to determine if the signature or writing is or is not that of a particular writer. In some cases they are called in to testify to their opinion and visually demonstrate the reasoning behind their determination. Their purpose if to find the truth of authorship of the writing for the court, not to aid one side or the other in their case.

The graphologist examines handwriting to determine the personality of the writer. The questioned document examiner examines the handwriting to determine, Who Wrote It? The graphologist examines the handwriting to determine Who Is The Writer?

Don't Markup Your Document!

Tue, 16 Aug 2011 07:11:20 GMT

By: Warren Spencer on Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Forensic Integrity:
Handling Documents Without a Trace

It is important to know that when you have a signature or any type of document that you believe is forged or in question you should not make any marks on the document. Documents submitted for examination must not be altered by you in anyway, check marks, circles, strikeouts and other marks can cause the document to be rejected as evidence by the court. Original documents are preferred as they may provide more information than a copy. For example, the pressure applied when writing can be seen and felt on the original. Original documents are not always available, they may have been lost or destroyed. Document examiners must often work with copies and are able to provide conclusive opinions and testify in court.

When providing a questioned document for examination be sure to provide the best quality copy available.