Handwriting Difficulties and Their Assessment in Young Adults with DCD: Extension of the DASH for 17-to 25-Year-Olds

Abstract

Handwriting difficulties are common in children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and frequently continue into adulthood. In spite of increased computer use, handwriting remains an essential everyday life skill. The Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH) provides an objective measure of handwriting performance for students aged 9-16 years. No equivalent test for adults exists. The aim of this study is to explore developmental trends beyond the age of 16 on the five tasks included in the DASH and to describe the employment of these data in an extension of the test for 17-to 25-year-olds (DASH 17?). A case study is included to illustrate its use in the assessment of young adults with DCD. Three hundred and ninety-three students between the ages of 17 and 25 completed the test. The sample was selected to represent the population of UK students in post-16 education. Statistically significant, but overall modest developmental trends in handwriting performance were found for all tasks. Depending on the task, the year-on-year average increase in performance followed a linear or non-linear trend. Gender effects were generally small. DASH 17? will provide useful information on any individual whose handwriting is causing concern, including those with, or suspected of having DCD.

Handwriting speed in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: Are they really slower?

“…However, in terms of empirical evidence, few studies have quantified or documented the amount of text produced by children with DCD compared to their TD peers. Barnett et al (2011) reported fewer words produced per minute by a teenager with DCD in a case study related to the development of the DASH 17+ (an extension of the test for older students, Barnett et al, 2010). Elsewhere, characterised handwriting performance in children with DCD in Hebrew and reported that children with DCD produced significantly fewer letters per minute than their TD peers during a two-sentence copying task.…”

The Effects of Script and Orthographic Complexity on the Handwriting and Spelling Performance of Children With Dyslexia

“…Sentence copy assesses the speed and quality (legibility) of text copying (Barnett et al, 2011; Berninger et al, 1992; Limpo & Alves, 2013; Prunty et al, 2013). Children were asked to copy the Italian sentence, “ L’elefante vide benissimo quel topo che rubava qualche pezzo di formaggio ” (transl.…”

Gender differences in performance of the Movement Assessment Battery for Children - 2^nd edition test in adolescents

“…Only a few studies have pointed out gender differences in similar tasks to those which are involved in the MABC-2 test. For example, A. L. Barnett, Henderson, Scheib, and Schulz (2011) pointed out better graphomotor skills in 17-25 year old girl students in comparison to boy students. In addition, 14 and 15 year old adolescent girls have shown better performance than boys in balance tasks (Viel, Vaugoyeau, & Assaiante, 2009).…”