Graphomotor Intervention Program for Handwriting Difficulties Prevention in School-Age

NCT ID: NCT03699800

Last Updated: 2020-03-27

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

47 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2018-10-15

Study Completion Date

2019-12-31

Brief Summary

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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

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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

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Typical Development Risk of Dysgraphia Dysgraphia

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

PREVENTION

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors

Study Groups

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Graphomotor intervention program

The experimental group (EG) intervention comprises a graphomotor intervention program according to a psychomotor approach. The program integrates two group sessions (6-8 children)/week of 30 minutes for 8 weeks (16 sessions).

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Graphomotor intervention program

Intervention Type OTHER

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.

Control Group

The control group (CG) participants will maintain their normal classroom activities. After the study, control group participants will be offered the opportunity to integrate a similar graphomotor intervention program.

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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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.

Intervention Type OTHER

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Children in the second grade (aged 7 years old);
* Participation agreement;

Exclusion Criteria

* Diagnosed or suspected of neurological disabilities (e.g., cerebral palsy, epilepsy), psychiatric and/or behavioural disorders;
* Presence of uncorrected vision and hearing problems;
* Referenced by Special Education/National Service of Early Intervention in Childhood;
* Presence of one or more school retentions;
* Native language is not Portuguese;
* Children with direct intervention in graphomotor skills or who had a similar intervention to that proposed less than 1 year ago;
* Participation in the intervention program of less than 80%;
* Children undergoing drug therapy (e.g., antihistamines) that interfere with the study variables;
* Do not wish to participate in the study.
Minimum Eligible Age

7 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

7 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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University of Évora

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Helena Isabel Falcão Coradinho

Principal investigator

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

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Helena IF Coradinho, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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Helena Isabel Falcão Coradinho

Evora, , Portugal

Site Status

Countries

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Portugal

References

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Engel-Yeger B, Rosenblum S. The effects of protracted graphomotor tasks on tripod pinch strength and handwriting performance in children with dysgraphia. Disabil Rehabil. 2010;32(21):1749-57. doi: 10.3109/09638281003734375.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 20373859 (View on PubMed)

Zeziger P, Deonna T, Mayor C. L'acquisition de l'écriture. Enfance. 2000; 3:295-304. Available at: http://www.persee.fr/doc/enfan_0013-7545_2000_num_53_3_3186

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Denton PL, Cope S, Moser C. The effects of sensorimotor-based intervention versus therapeutic practice on improving handwriting performance in 6- to 11-year-old children. Am J Occup Ther. 2006 Jan-Feb;60(1):16-27. doi: 10.5014/ajot.60.1.16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 16541981 (View on PubMed)

Schneck C, Amundson S. Prewriting and Handwriting Skills. In Case-Smith J., O'Brien J, cords. Occupational Therapy for Children. Missouri: Elsevier; 2010. p. 555-82.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Alhusaini AA, Melam GR, Buragadda S. Short-term sensorimotor-based intervention for handwriting performance in elementary school children. Pediatr Int. 2016 Nov;58(11):1118-1123. doi: 10.1111/ped.13004. Epub 2016 Jul 7.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 27085075 (View on PubMed)

Soppelsa R, Albaret JM. Caractéristiques de la dysgraphie ou du trouble de l'apprentissage de la graphomotricité (TAG) au collège. A.N.A.E. 2014 Fev; 128:1-6. Available at: http://www.psychomot.ups-tlse.fr/Soppelsa-Albaret2014.pdf

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Rosenblum S, Aloni T, Josman N. Relationships between handwriting performance and organizational abilities among children with and without dysgraphia: a preliminary study. Res Dev Disabil. 2010 Mar-Apr;31(2):502-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2009.10.016. Epub 2009 Nov 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 19945252 (View on PubMed)

Soppelsa R, Abizeid C, Chéron A, Laurent A, Danna J, Albaret, JM. Dysgraphies et rééducation psychomotrice: Données actuelles. In: Albaret JM, Matta Abizeid C, Soppelsa R. Les Entretiens de Bichat. Publisher: Toulouse - Europa Digital & Publishing, Editors; 2016. p 5-11.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Rosenblum S, Dror G. Identifying Developmental Dysgraphia Characteristics Utilizing Handwriting Classification Methods. IEEE Transactions on Human-Machine Systems. 2016 Oct; 47(2): 293-8. doi: 10.1109/THMS.2016.2628799

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Lachaux-Parker C. Troubles de l'écriture et psychomotricité. Revue francophone d'orthoptie. 2012; 5:143-7. doi: 10.1016/j.rfo.2013.02.002

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Borghese NA, Palmiotto C, Essenziale J, Mainetti R, Granocchio E, Molteni B et al. Assessment of Exergames as Treatment and Prevention of Dysgraphia. In: Ibáñez J, González-Vargas J, Azorín J, Akay M, Pons J. Converging Clinical and Engineering Research on Neurorehabilitation II. Cham: Springer; 2017. p. 431-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Graham S, Harris KR. Preventing Writing Difficulties: Providing Additional Handwriting and Spelling Instruction to At-Risk Children in First Grade. Teaching Exceptional Children. 2006 May/Jun; 38(5):64-66. doi: 10.1177/004005990603800509

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Graham S, Harris KR, & Fink B. Is handwriting causally related to learning to write? Treatment of handwriting problems in beginning writers. Journal of Educational Psychology. 2000; 92(4):620-33. doi: 10.1037/0022-0663.92.4.620

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Howe TH, Roston KL, Sheu CF, Hinojosa J. Assessing handwriting intervention effectiveness in elementary school students: a two-group controlled study. Am J Occup Ther. 2013 Jan-Feb;67(1):19-26. doi: 10.5014/ajot.2013.005470.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23245779 (View on PubMed)

Hoy MM, Egan MY, Feder KP. A systematic review of interventions to improve handwriting. Can J Occup Ther. 2011 Feb;78(1):13-25. doi: 10.2182/cjot.2011.78.1.3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21395194 (View on PubMed)

Matias A, Vieira C. Programa de intervenção grafomotora. [In press].

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Other Identifiers

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06102018

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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