Handwriting difficulties represent a common complaint among children and may cause a significant delay in motor skills achievement. The Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) assesses handwriting skill in clinical and experimental settings, providing a quick evaluation of handwriting quality and speed through a copying text. The aim of the present study was to validate the Italian adaptation of the BHK in a representative primary school population. Overall, 562 children aged 7–11 from 16 public primary schools of Rome were included and asked to copy a text in 5 min using cursive handwriting. Handwriting quality and copying speed were measured. The included population followed a normal distribution for the BHK quality scores. Sex influenced the total quality scores, whereas school level influenced the copying speed. The BHK quality score was higher in girls (p < 0.05) and resulted as a stable parameter along the school years, without significant variations with regard to the years spent in handwriting exercise (p = 0.76). The handwriting speed was influenced by school level, and significant differences were found for each of the grades from the second to the fifth (p < 0.05), but not for gender (p = 0.47). Both BHK measures represent a helpful tool for the characterization and assessment of children with handwriting difficulties. The present study confirms that sex influences total BHK quality score, while school level influences handwriting speed.

Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population / Loizzo, Annalivia; Zaccaria, Valerio; Caravale, Barbara; Di Brina, Carlo. - In: CHILDREN. - ISSN 2227-9067. - 10:2(2023), p. 223. [10.3390/children10020223]

Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population

Zaccaria, Valerio;Caravale, Barbara
;
Di Brina, Carlo
Ultimo
2023

Abstract

Handwriting difficulties represent a common complaint among children and may cause a significant delay in motor skills achievement. The Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) assesses handwriting skill in clinical and experimental settings, providing a quick evaluation of handwriting quality and speed through a copying text. The aim of the present study was to validate the Italian adaptation of the BHK in a representative primary school population. Overall, 562 children aged 7–11 from 16 public primary schools of Rome were included and asked to copy a text in 5 min using cursive handwriting. Handwriting quality and copying speed were measured. The included population followed a normal distribution for the BHK quality scores. Sex influenced the total quality scores, whereas school level influenced the copying speed. The BHK quality score was higher in girls (p < 0.05) and resulted as a stable parameter along the school years, without significant variations with regard to the years spent in handwriting exercise (p = 0.76). The handwriting speed was influenced by school level, and significant differences were found for each of the grades from the second to the fifth (p < 0.05), but not for gender (p = 0.47). Both BHK measures represent a helpful tool for the characterization and assessment of children with handwriting difficulties. The present study confirms that sex influences total BHK quality score, while school level influences handwriting speed.
2023
BHK; handwriting skills; handwriting difficulties; primary school children
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population / Loizzo, Annalivia; Zaccaria, Valerio; Caravale, Barbara; Di Brina, Carlo. - In: CHILDREN. - ISSN 2227-9067. - 10:2(2023), p. 223. [10.3390/children10020223]
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1667568
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