TEST OF HANDWRITING SKILLS-REVISED

Author: Michael Milone, PhD Cassie Legg & Chris Matzye

CHARACTERISTICS

• • • • Age range: • 6.0 years through 18.11 years (manuscript) • 8.0 years through 18.11 years (cursive) Visual-motor (sensory) integration Individual/group administration Domain: Handwriting • Neurosensory integration

PURPOSE • • • • • Assesses neurosensory integration ability as evidenced by manuscript or cursive writing Determines if neurosensory integration difficulties contribute to learning problems (should be used with other assessments) Monitors progress of students with disabilities Guides instructional or rehabilitation practices *NOT a classroom penmanship test

TEST • • • 10 Subtests Testing time • • 10 minutes to administer 15 minutes to score Test cost • • Kit (manual, 15 manuscript test booklets, 15 cursive test booklets, 30 record forms, and training video= $150.00

Manual= $60.00

TEST DEVELOPMENT AND STANDARDIZATION • • • • • • Majority of standardization tests were done on children ages 6 10 Type of task and order of subtests remained the same as the original version because literature found them to still be valid Bias was tested and was not evident the U.S. population (region, race/ethnicity, gender, parent education) based on U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2000 N= 1608 Ages 6 through 18.11

PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES

Internal Consistency

Manuscript (0.61 0.85) Cursive (0.65-0.92)

Test-Retest

N= 46 Interval= 14 days Total test score = 0.82

Interrater

N= 53 Manuscript= 12 Cursive= 41 Agreement among raters= 0.59-1.00

Validity

Content= developed so each would be common to a wide variety of children in standard academic settings Construct= developmental changes, exceptional group differences: how these are involved in neurosensory integration Typical correspondence= 0.75-0.90

• • • • • • • TEST PROCEDURES Establish everyday writing style of student (manuscript or cursive) Standardized methods Use the exact wording in the instruction manual Test must be administered in order beginning with Subtest 1 and ending with Subtest 10 (utilize abbreviated assessment when time is limited: Subtest 6 & 7) Can be administered individually or in small groups but additional administrators are recommended for groups Subtests 1 & 2 are timed Note any behaviors that contribute to performance or suggest an underlying problem

EXAMPLE OF TEST ITEMS

SCORING

SCORING AND INTERPRETATION

AREA OF OCCUPATION ADDRESSED • Education • Formal education participation

ASSESSMENT APPROACH • Bottom-Up • Uses letter formation to assess neurosensory integration

APPLICATION OF ASSESSMENT • • School system Private practice

FRAME OF REFERENCE • Sensory integration • Looks at neurosensory integration skills

MEASUREMENT CONCERNS • Competency in scoring and interpretation