Diagnosis and Remediation of Handwriting Problems

Abstract

The lack of a system for the analysis and diagnosis of handwriting incompetence has led to the neglect of this area of learning failure. This article describes a new instrument, the Diagnosis and Remediation of Handwriting Problems (DRHP) (Stott, Moyes, & Henderson, 1984b), that has been designed to fill this hiatus. Handwriting problems are divided into (a) faults of concept and style, which reflect failures of learning or teaching, and (b) faults of motor control, which suggest fine-motor or perceptual dysfunction and may have a neurological origin. Specimens of children’s handwriting illustrate this categorization. The methodology of the remedial programs proposed by the DRHP is based on empirical findings about the nature of handwriting movements. These programs are briefly described. There is a need for handwriting specialists to advise teachers and help in the diagnosis of problems. It is suggested that physical education teachers be trained to develop these skills.

Using the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment and Handwriting Checklist in Screening First and Second Graders' Handwriting Legibility

“…Internal factors include a student's visual-motor skills, visual-perceptual skills, in-hand manipulation skills, kinesthetic awareness, readiness, attention, memory, and language ability (Marr et al, 2001;. In addition to these factors, other prerequisites in assessing handwriting function identified by Marr et al, may be small-muscle development, Downloaded by [University of Saskatchewan Library] at 14:36 04 February 2015 Table 1 Comparisons of Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA, Reisman, 1999); Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting-Manuscript (ETCH-M, Amundson, 1995); Denver Handwriting Analysis (DHA, Anderson, 1983;Wold Sentence Copy Test, (Wold, 2001); Children's Handwriting Evaluation Scale-Manuscript (CHES-M, Phelps & Stempel, 1988); Diagnosis and Remediation of Handwriting Problems (DRHP, Stott, Moyes, & Henderson, 1985); Test of Handwriting Skills (THS, Gardner, 1998); and, the Test of Legible Handwriting (TLH, Larsen & Hammill, 1989) tool use and in-hand manipulation, accurate and effortless stroke formation, and recognition of the letters of the alphabet. According to Daly, Kelly and Krauss (2003), the ability to copy the first nine shapes of the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (Beery & Buktenica, 1997) is a good predictor of success in handwriting skills.…”

Reliability of occupational therapist and teacher evaluations of the handwriting quality of grade 5 and 6 primary school children*

“…Ziviani and Elkins (1984) selected the above product variables for their potential to be measured objectively. However, researchers criticise the extent to which those variables selected by Ziviani and Elkins (1984) constitute the critical factors of legibility (Stott et al, 1987). Similarly, the Bonney and Perks Handbook and Assessment for the Remediation of Handwriting Difficulties (Bonney & Perks, 1989) is questioned because of its lack of evaluation of significant handwriting product variables, namely variables specifically associated with handwriting quality (Bonney, 1992;Amundsen, 1993).…”

“…However, a number of authorities claim that educators are poorly placed to assess handwriting dysfunction (Kauffman-Allen, 1988;Pratt & Allen, 1989;Reisman, 1991). Stott et al (1987) viewed the problem in terms of a class teacher's inability to clearly identify the true nature of a student's handwriting dysfunction, a view supported by an earlier study by Rubin and Henderson (1982). Rubin and Henderson (1982) investigated the extent to which teachers' judgements corresponded with an objective measure of handwriting.…”

Handwriting: Ergonomics, Assessment and Instruction

“…(1970) suggested, research is still needed to determine the extent of the influence of certain handwriting characteristics, such as poor letter formation, on legibility. Stott et al (1985) produced a checklist which diagnoses handwriting problems and provides the teacher with the means of devising remediation programmes. Their diagnosis includes not only faults of concept and style, such as incorrect letter formation and spacing errors, but also motor control faults such as inconsistency of slant or letter size.…”