Author/Authors :
Ebadi Abbas نويسنده , Alizadeh Zarei Mehdi نويسنده Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran , Azad Akram نويسنده Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, IR Iran , Havaei Naser نويسنده Department of Occupational Therapy, School of
Rehabilitation Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences,
Tehran, IR Iran
Abstract :
Background Handwriting difficulties are one of the most common
reasons for referral to school-based occupational therapy. Assessing
handwriting performance using standardized tools is necessary for
scientific research and clinical assessment. Objectives The objective of
this study was to develop and validate the Persian handwriting
assessment tool to evaluate legibility and speed in near-point copying
and dictation domains in primary school-aged children. Methods This
methodological study was conducted in Tehran, Iran during 2015 - 2016.
Measurement items were selected by reviewing the past literature and
considering the opinions of an expert panel. The scale development, the
analysis of content validity, and item analysis were performed in phase
one using the data from 131 students in grades two and three.
Exploratory factor analysis and discriminant validity were analyzed in
phase two using the data from 208 subjects. Sampling was conducted using
the random cluster method. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted on
a randomly split sample of half of the data. Results The content
validity ratio of most of the criteria was greater than 0.57. Item
analysis confirmed the writing assignments in the copying and dictation
domains. Principal component analysis revealed that measurements in the
copying and dictation domains loaded into three components separately,
which accounted for 71.96% of the variance in the copying domain and
70.46% of the variance in the dictation domain. Confirmatory factor
analysis also confirmed the accuracy of the three-dimensional structure
designated through exploratory factor analysis. Discriminant validity
showed that handwriting speed and legibility increased with maturation.
Conclusions The Persian handwriting assessment tool as a comprehensive
and quickly scored tool that can help therapists identify primary school
students with handwriting problems so that appropriate interventions for
these students can be implemented.
