Comprehension of handwriting development: Pen‐grip kinetics in handwriting tasks and its relation to fine motor skills among school‐age children

Lin, Yu Chen; Chao, Yen Li; Wu, Shyi Kuen; Lin, Ho Hsio; Hsu, Chieh-Hsiang; Hsu, Hsiao Man; Kuo, Li-Chieh

doi:10.1111/1440-1630.12393

Cited by 26 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Such children often appear clumsy and uncoordinated. 4 , 5 Motor coordination problems have previously been labelled ‘clumsy child syndrome’, ‘non-cerebral-palsy motor-perception dysfunction’, ‘minor neurological dysfunction’ or ‘dyspraxia of childhood’. 6 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fine motor deficits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary school children

2019

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Background: Many children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) display motor deficiencies during their daily routine, which may have impact on their developmental course. Children with ADHD who experience motor deficiencies often display deficits in tasks requiring movements, such as handwriting.Aim: This study investigated deficiencies in fine motor skills in primary school children with ADHD. The study further sought to establish whether ADHD subtypes differ in deficiencies of fine motor performance, recorded for both the dominant and non-dominant hands.Methods: The Disruptive Behavior Disorders Rating Scale, completed by educators and parents, was used to screen for ADHD symptoms. Researchers confirmed the diagnosis of ADHD. Motor functioning was assessed using the Grooved Pegboard and Maze Coordination. The children diagnosed with ADHD were matched for age and gender with controls without ADHD. The sample consisted of an ADHD group (160) and control group (160) of primary school children from the Moletjie area.Results: Children with ADHD (predominantly inattentive subtype) and ADHD (combined subtype) performed significantly more poorly than the control group on the Grooved Pegboard (p < 0.05) with both the dominant and non-dominant hand. No significant difference between the hyperactivity and impulsiveness subtype and the controls were found. There was no difference on the Maze Coordination Task (p > 0.05) between the ADHD subtypes and the controls.Conclusion: Difficulties in fine motor skills are prevalent in children with ADHD, particularly in the ADHD-PI and ADHD-C. Problems are encountered in distal, complex, speeded tasks. The effect may lead to poor handwriting and academic performance.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 8 Poor fine motor skills can make cognitive learning and performance more difficult because of the involvement of fine motor skills in cognitive activities. 5 , 8 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine motor deficits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary school children

2019

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“…Compared with the forces applied from the hand toward a surface, researchers have focused on the forces applied from the digits and pen tip, where therapy practitioners can directly intervene. Previous literature on this topic has suggested that pen-tip force is not grade related [13,18]. However, it may be influenced by task demands and specific writing characteristics such as writing speed [18].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…This situation raises a question as to how therapy practitioners should instruct children to apply an appropriate amount of force if the correct amount to be applied remains unknown. Accordingly, a few research groups have attempted to measure the invisible force from fingers with custom-made kinetic pens to present the actual forces applied to the pen [13][14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pen-grip kinetics in children with and without handwriting difficulties

et al. 2022

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Introduction Handwriting difficulty (HD) is a widely discussed issue. Previous researchers have revealed many valuable kinematics related to the handwriting performance. However, a clear understanding of the kinetics of handwriting performance in children with HD is still lacking. Therefore, this study investigated the writing performance of children with HD via a force acquisition pen (FAP), which detects the force applied from the digits and pen tip. Methods Data from 64 school-age children were divided into control (36 children without HD; mean age: 7.97 years) and HD (28 children with HD; mean age: 8.67 years) groups. The participants were asked to perform a tracing task using the FAP at their usual writing pace. Results Compared with the control group, the HD group had significantly less pen-tip force, an average amount of force (in-air) from all three digits, higher force variations (whole task) in the index finger, less force fluctuations with the index and middle fingers and a smaller force ratio. Conclusion The findings of this study suggest that an understanding of the handwriting kinetics and the role of digits in handwriting may be crucial for further planning strategies for handwriting training for children with HD.

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“…This altered motor command resulted from stressful environments (Van Gemmert & Van Galen, 1997) or was observed in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (Smits-Engelsman et al, 2003). Although the grip is important because it allows the fine movements necessary for writing, several studies failed to find a consistent relationship between pen grip biomechanical factors and handwriting legibility (e.g., Lin et al, 2017;Parush et al, 1998;Rosenblum et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overpressure on fingertips prevents state estimation of the pen grip force and movement accuracy

et al. 2021

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We tested the hypothesis that the inability to move a pen accurately in a graphic task is partly due to a decrease of afferent somatosensory information resulting from overpressure on the tactile receptors of the fingers holding the pen. To disentangle the depressed somatosensory origin from an altered motor command, we compared a condition in which the participant actively produces pressure on the pen (active grip) with a condition in which pressure is passively applied (passive grip, no grip-related motor command). We expected that the response of the somatosensory cortex to electric stimulation of the wrist's tactile nerve (i.e., SEP) would be greater in the natural pen grip (baseline condition) than in the two overpressure conditions (actively or passively induced). Fifteen adults were required to trace a geometrical shape in the three grip conditions. The SEP amplitude was not significantly different between the baseline and both overpressure conditions. However, behavioral results showed that drawing accuracy is impaired when the pressure on the pen is increased (passively or actively).Cortical source analyses revealed that the activity of the superior parietal areas (SPL) increased in both overpressure conditions. Our findings suggest that the SPL is critical for sensorimotor integration, by maintaining an internal representation of pen holding. These cortical changes might witness the impaired updating of the finger-pen interaction force for such drawing actions under visual guidance.

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Comprehension of handwriting development: Pen‐grip kinetics in handwriting tasks and its relation to fine motor skills among school‐age children

Cited by 26 publications

References 34 publications

Fine motor deficits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary school children

Fine motor deficits and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in primary school children

Pen-grip kinetics in children with and without handwriting difficulties

Overpressure on fingertips prevents state estimation of the pen grip force and movement accuracy

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