Relationship Between Teacher’s and Therapist’s Evaluations on Handwriting Performance in First-grade Children

I ranian R‌ehabilitation Journal June 2021, Volume 19, Number 2 Research Paper: Relationship Between Teacher’s and Therapist’s Evaluations on Handwriting Performance in First-grade Children Adel Alhusaini1 , Ganeswararao Melam1* , Emad Bakr Takrouni1 , Faizan Zaffar Kashoo2 , Syamala Buragadda1 1. Department of Rehabilitation Health Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2. Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Majmaah University, Al-Majma'ah, Saudi Arabia. Use your device to scan and read the article online Citation Alhusaini A, Melam G, Takrouni EB, Zaffar Kashoo F, Buragadda S. Relationship Between Teacher’s and Thera- pist’s Evaluations on Handwriting Performance in First-grade Children. Iranian Rehabilitation Journal. 2021; 19(2):147-156. http://dx.doi.org/10.32598/irj.19.2.1236.1 : http://dx.doi.org/10.32598/irj.19.2.1236.1 ABSTRACT Article info: Received: 07 Oct 2020 Accepted: 20 Jun 2021 Available Online: 01 June 2021 Objectives: Handwriting dysfunction may harm children’s wellbeing. Therapists and elementary school teachers help to identify and improve children’s handwriting performance. The present study aimed to assess the relationship between therapists’ assessment and teachers’ perception of handwriting performance in first graders. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved (n=31) first-grade students, aged 6-8 years from an international school in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia. Teachers evaluated the handwriting proficiency using the Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ), and the explored students were rated as proficient and non-proficient hand writers. Furthermore, therapists assessed students’ handwriting proficiency using the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA) (manuscript & D’Nealian styles) scores. The Mann–Whitney U test was used to assess the differences in MHA scores between proficient and non-proficient hand writers. Moreover, Spearman’s correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationship between the scores of MHA and HPSQ. Keywords: Results: There was a significant difference in all component scores of MHA (except the rate) and both writing styles between the proficient and non-proficient writers (P<0.05). There was also a significant relationship between the MHA and the HSPQ scores (P<0.05). However, further analysis of these scales’ components suggested no significant association between teachers’ and therapists’ evaluation of the handwriting speed domain. Handwriting, Motor skills, Academic performance, Schoolchildren Discussion: There was a significant relationship between the teacher’s and therapist’s evaluation of handwriting performance using standardized measures. Thus, therapists should work in collaboration with teachers to identify and treat handwriting difficulties in school children. Corresponding Author: Ganeswararao Melam, MSc. Address: Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Tel: +96 (611) 4693605 E-mail: * 147 I ranian R‌ehabilitation Journal June 2021, Volume 19, Number 2 Highlights • The present research highlighted the association between occupational therapists and elementary school teachers’ handwriting performance assessment in school-age students. • There was a significant difference in all component scores of the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA), except the rate component, and both writing styles of MHA between the proficient and non-proficient writers. • There is a moderate relationship between teacher and therapist rating of handwriting in elementary school children. • Therapists may work in collaboration with school teachers to identify handwriting difficulties in school-age children. Plain Language Summary Handwriting problems are a severe burden to academic learning purposes in elementary school children. The adverse effects of handwriting difficulties can lead to decreased academic performance. This condition presents severe consequences on emotional wellbeing and social functioning in children. Therapists and school teachers play a critical role in identifying handwriting dysfunction in children. The collected results provided insights related to elementary school teacher’s and therapist’s evaluation of handwriting performance using standardized measures. Therefore, therapists should work in collaboration with teachers to identify and treat handwriting difficulties, including legibility. The study findings may help teachers and healthcare providers understand the importance of handwriting components. A 1. Introduction lthough the flow of technological changes in education, handwriting is considered an indispensable tool in the elementary curriculum. The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) recognizes the handwriting as a necessary skill for learning and applying knowledge [1]; learning to write a primary task in childhood constitutes 30%-60% of school day activities [2, 3]. Empirical evidence indicated that 10%-30% of schoolchildren failed to develop efficient handwriting [4]. Handwriting difficulties are regarded as severe hindrances to education learning for elementary school children. Teachers or parents, whose primary concern is child handwriting, especially about the legibility and speed domain, make most referrals to the therapists [5]. The adverse effects of handwriting difficulties can lead to more unsatisfactory academic performance. Besides, this condition may present severe consequences on emotional wellbeing and social functioning [6, 7]. To prevent these adverse effects on child development, Occupational Therapists (OTs), in collaboration with teachers and other educational team members, should identify and support the students with writing difficulties in improving their handwriting performance [8]. 148 Elementary-School children with legibility problems may be guided by teachers at school or referred to an OT for further evaluation [9, 10]. One of the most common reasons for OT consultations in school settings is poor academic performance due to handwriting difficulty. OTs works with students to improve their academic skills [11]. In Saudi Arabia, class teachers are responsible for identifying students with writing difficulties and referring them to special education teachers. Students with learning disabilities are educated in the general education curriculum, and extra support (e.g., a resource room) is available when necessary [12]. However, assessment measures for handwriting difficulties in the school-based setting are lacking [13, 14]. Researchers believed that teachers subjectively assess students’ handwriting instead of using a standardized handwriting test [15]. Therapists and researchers need to comprehend the association between the assessed and the actual execution in real-life contexts, such as home or school settings (...truncated)