Graphomotor Intervention Program for Handwriting Difficulties Prevention in School-Age
Condition: Typical Development; Risk of Dysgraphia; Dysgraphia
MeSH terms: Agraphia
Study type: Interventional

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.
    

Intervention name(s): Graphomotor intervention program
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): 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.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Double (Participant, Outcomes Assessor)
Primary purpose: Prevention
Keywords: Graphomotor intervention program; Second grade children; Prevention and early identification; Process and product of handwriting; Quality and speed of handwriting