NCT03699800

Graphomotor Intervention Program for Handwriting Difficulties Prevention in School-Age

The Effects of a Graphomotor Intervention Program According to a Psychomotor Approach on Quality and Speed of Handwriting in School-Age Children: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 47 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Évora · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 7 Years – 7 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Accepted

Summary

12-30% of children present handwriting difficulties, which has negative repercussions on their school career. For this reason, it is fundamental to bet on their prevention. The aim of present study is to examine the effects of a graphomotor intervention program on quality and speed of handwriting in second-grade children. This experimental study is a randomized controlled trial. The program will run for 8 weeks (2 sessions/week of 30 minutes), followed by 6 months of follow-up without intervention. Participants will be assessed 1) at baseline, 2) at the end of the program, and 3) after the follow-up. Participants will be randomly allocated to two groups: experimental group (graphomotor intervention program) and control group.

Detailed description

According to estimates (1), 30% to 60% of the school day is spent performing tasks involving handwriting. It is also in this period that the formal learning of handwriting begins (2). However, not all children are able to develop proficient handwriting (3-4). According to Alhusaini, Melam and Buragadda (5) 12% to 30% of children present difficulties in handwriting, with negative consequences for school success (6). Children who fail to develop proficient handwriting are entitled to "poor writers" or "dysgraphics" (7-8). Dysgraphia refers to a "disturbance or difficulty in the production of written language related to the mechanics of writing" (9). Ajuriaguerra (8) defines it as a writing whose quality is deficient, without any neurological or intellectual deficit explaining it. Generally, handwriting is less legible and organized, contains more erasures and corrections, and exhibits a slower speed (9). In addition, this is one of the main reasons for referral and consultation in psychomotricity in school-age (10), for this reason it is fundamental to bet on the prevention of them. The need for prevention and early intervention is indisputable (11). Several studies indicate that both the benefits of late intervention are well-known, because the time is often difficult to correct handwriting difficulties (12-13). Most of the existing studies focus on remediation of handwriting (14). There is evidence of its efficacy in handwriting improvement, depending on its duration, frequency and method of treatment (5, 7, 15). There are few studies dedicated to the prevention of handwriting difficulties (14). In addition, to my knowledge, there is no study whose intervention is based on a psychomotor approach. Based on this, a graphomotor intervention program with a psychomotor approach was developed, by Matias and Vieira (16), who will apply in this study to children in the second grade of elementary school.

Conditions

• Typical Development
• Risk of Dysgraphia
• Dysgraphia

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Graphomotor intervention program	The graphomotor intervention program aims to promote the development and reinforcement, different skills involved in the learning process of handwriting and has a preventive character. It follows a bodily, playful, multisensory, exploratory (sensory integration) and neuromotor task training approach and focuses on the following intervention domains: segmental awareness, passive relaxation, trunk-limb dissociation, interdigital coordination, attention, planning, spatial organization/orientation and perception.

Timeline

• Start date: 2018-10-15
• Primary completion: 2019-12-31
• Completion: 2019-12-31
• First posted: 2018-10-09
• Last updated: 2020-03-27

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Portugal