Handwriting Problems – Can You Predict Them?

Is it possible to predict handwriting problems? Research indicates that after one year of schooling, up to a third of primary school children show insufficient handwriting. Researchers in the Netherlands decided to examine handwriting development in primary school children longitudinally to determine the predictive value of early handwriting assessment. In addition, they looked closely at whether underlying abilities can help with early identification of persistent handwriting problems.

Methodology of the Study on Predicting Handwriting Problems

The researchers evaluated 173 primary school children once a year for four years using the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting and the Beery Buktenica developmental test of visual-motor integration.

Results

Following data analysis the researchers determined the following on predicting handwriting problems in primary school children:

• both quality and speed of handwriting increased with years of schooling
• there was a pronounced increase in quality between two and three years of writing.
• sensitivity and positive predictive value were low. Only 1 out of 10 children with insufficient handwriting at an early stage of the handwriting acquisition showed insufficient handwriting 3 years later.
• the only significant predictor of handwriting quality was handwriting quality in the previous year.
• for handwriting speed, no significant developmental model was revealed.
• perceptual and motor skills in the first year were associated with handwriting quality in the same year although were not related to the quality of handwriting in subsequent years.

Conclusions

The researchers concluded that quality and speed of handwriting after one year is not sufficiently predictive for distinguishing between short term insufficient handwriting and persistent handwriting problems three years later.

Reference: Duiser, I. H., Ledebt, A., van der Kamp, J., & Savelsbergh, G. J. (2020). Persistent handwriting problems are hard to predict: A longitudinal study of the development of handwriting in primary school. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 97, 103551.

How do you assess if a child is making progress in foundational skill areas to support handwriting performance? How do you determine if further intervention is required?  Ingrid S. King MScOT, BOT developed the Fantastic Fingers ® Handwriting Foundations Screen to identify handwriting needs fast and monitor progress.  The screen provides standardized observations of functional skills in context.