Handwriting evaluation in school-aged children
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Abstract
Formal education is based on the development of different complex skills, among which handwriting stands out. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between performance in the speed and quality of handwriting and performance in the visual-motor integration function in the graphic plane, in schoolchildren who are in the fourth year of the primary school. A total of 158 boys and girls from 7 public educational institutions, common education, from the 5th income quintile of Montevideo, participated in the study (total girls: 80, 50.6%; total boys: 78, 49.4%). A quantitative, cross-sectional study was carried out based on probabilistic sampling carried out in two stages. To evaluate the quality and speed of handwriting, the Concise Assessment Method of Children’s Handwriting (BHK) was used. To evaluate the visual- motor integration function in the graphic plane, the second version of Bender’s Visual- Motor Gestalt Test (Bender-II) was used. The statistical analysis of the data obtained was carried out using specific software for each of the stages of the study. Girls’ handwriting turned out to be more legible than boys’. No significant differences were found in writing speed based on sex. The quality and speed of handwriting were positively correlated with visual-motor integration function. This research contributes to the characterization of handwriting in the school stage and constitutes an important advance towards the construction of specific scales for our population.
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