Legible Handwriting Research Articles

Scribe-Free Way for the Specially Abled to Write Exams

The specially-abled face a lot of issues when it comes to taking up exams. They require specific assistance for taking up their exams known as a scribe. However in today’s world finding a scribe is of great difficulty. Even if the scribe is found there are a lot of other practical difficulties while using a scribe to write exams. One such practical difficulty in using a scribe to write exams is that the scribe may not be aware of the technical terms used by the candidate. This causes loss of marks for the candidate if the scribe makes an error. The scribe should also have a legible handwriting which again is a problem. Our project aims at eliminating the need for a scribe and allowing the candidate itself to take up their exams by leveraging the latest technologies such as speech recognition and synthesis. This is achieved with the help of an android application, using which the questions can be stored in a database using administrator login. A separate candidate login is given. The question will be read out to the candidate and the answer will be taken as a voice response.

Off-The-Shelf Stylus: Using XR Devices for Handwriting and Sketching on Physically Aligned Virtual Surfaces

This article introduces the Off-The-Shelf Stylus (OTSS), a framework for 2D interaction (in 3D) as well as for handwriting and sketching with digital pen, ink, and paper on physically aligned virtual surfaces in Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (VR, AR, MR: XR for short). OTSS supports self-made XR styluses based on consumer-grade six-degrees-of-freedom XR controllers and commercially available styluses. The framework provides separate modules for three basic but vital features: 1) The stylus module provides stylus construction and calibration features. 2) The surface module provides surface calibration and visual feedback features for virtual-physical 2D surface alignment using our so-called 3ViSuAl procedure, and surface interaction features. 3) The evaluation suite provides a comprehensive test bed combining technical measurements for precision, accuracy, and latency with extensive usability evaluations including handwriting and sketching tasks based on established visuomotor, graphomotor, and handwriting research. The framework’s development is accompanied by an extensive open source reference implementation targeting the Unity game engine using an Oculus Rift S headset and Oculus Touch controllers. The development compares three low-cost and low-tech options to equip controllers with a tip and includes a web browser-based surface providing support for interacting, handwriting, and sketching. The evaluation of the reference implementation based on the OTSS framework identified an average stylus precision of 0.98 mm (SD= 0.54 mm) and an average surface accuracy of 0.60 mm (SD= 0.32 mm) in a seated VR environment. The time for displaying the stylus movement as digital ink on the web browser surface in VR was 79.40 ms on average (SD= 23.26 ms), including the physical controller’s motion-to-photon latency visualized by its virtual representation (M= 42.57 ms,SD= 15.70 ms). The usability evaluation (N= 10) revealed a low task load, high usability, and high user experience. Participants successfully reproduced given shapes and created legible handwriting, indicating that the OTSS and it’s reference implementation is ready for everyday use. We provide source code access to our implementation, including stylus and surface calibration and surface interaction features, making it easy to reuse, extend, adapt and/or replicate previous results (https://go.uniwue.de/hci-otss).

Analysis of degree of errors in handwritten medication prescriptions in Rafha, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To assess the prevalence of handwritten prescription errors in Rafha Central Hospital in Saudi Arabia, and to determine the most predominant type of prescription error.
 Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on randomly selected samples of hand-written prescriptions in out-patient and in-patient pharmacies of Rafha Central Hospital over a five-month period (October 2016 to February 2017). A data collection sheet specially designed for this purpose was used to collect relevant information. The collected prescriptions were analyzed for the presence of prescription errors based on prescription parameters defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and current guidelines published in British National Formulary (BNF). Descriptive statistics and Microsoft Office were used for processing and analyzing the data collected.
 Results: Overall, 1019 prescription errors were identified. More than half of the total errors (610; 60 %) were associated with missing patient's information. Moreover, the parameters related to drug and prescriber information were absent in 204 (20 %) and 5 (0.4 %) prescriptions, respectively. In addition, 200 (19 %) miscellaneous errors related to date, legible handwriting and directions for patients were identified.
 Conclusion: This study discovered errors in hand-written prescriptions. A majority of the prescriptions did not adhere to accepted guidelines. The most common errors are absence of generic names of drugs, non-indication of duration of therapy or prescriber’s contact address, and absence of patient’s weight. Moreover, illegible handwriting was obvious in a substantial number of prescriptions.

The relationship between muscle activation and handwriting quality with non-native grip styles

PurposeThis study aimed to explore the differences in muscle activity, handwriting legibility, and consistency when using the 4 primary handwriting grip styles: dynamic quadrupod (DQ), dynamic tripod, lateral quadrupod (LQ) and lateral tripod. Study Design and MethodsThirty-four 18-22-year-old participants completed a handwriting legibility test on paper as well as consistency and metrics tests using both surface electromyography and a digital writing tablet. Electromyography was used to measure the activity of 6 muscles associated with handwriting, and the tablet measured stroke duration, length, velocity, and pen pressure. Subjects used each grip style with all protocols and scores were normalized to their native grip. Significance was set at P < .05. ResultsFemales had a lower range in legibility scores than males by 3.5% ± 1.7% (p = .046, d = 0.713), but grip style did not impact legibility. The upper trapezius (UT) was more active in the lateral tripod and LQ grips compared to DQ by 16.8% ± 5.2% and by 13.8% ± 5.2%, (p = .007, p = .012, respectively, partial η2 = 0.188). The stroke duration was greater in the LQ grip style than dynamic tripod and DQ grip styles (p = .008, p = .023, respectively; partial η2 = 0.123). ConclusionsLateral grip styles involve more whole-arm, stabilizing movements while dynamic grip styles require fine dexterous movements. Furthermore, females are likely to be able to employ any grip with minimal effect on legibility. For a patient needing guidance in rehabilitation, understanding the differences in grips could aid selection of the optimum grip style to employ based on their muscular control deficits.

Reliability and Preliminary Outcomes of a Protocol for Selection of Test Accommodations for Higher Education Students With Dysgraphia: A Pilot Study.

Students with dysgraphia often receive test accommodations to enhance their handwriting legibility or speed. However, these accommodations are seldom individualized to ensure that they actually improve the performance of a specific student. Therefore, a need exists for an evidence-based protocol (henceforth, the Protocol) for selecting individually tailored test accommodations for students with dysgraphia. To establish the Protocol's content validity, interrater reliability, and preliminary outcomes through a pilot study. Descriptive and exploratory design. Research laboratory at a large university in central Israel. The sample consisted of 25 students (mean age = 24.9 yr, standard deviation = 2.1), of whom 88.0% were male. Inclusion criteria included a previous diagnosis of a specific learning disability and handwriting difficulties. Exclusion criteria were a physical condition or medication intake that may have affected students' handwriting or typing ability. The Protocol was found to have face validity and high interrater reliability (κ = .80). Its initial use showed that the most suitable accommodations for students with dysgraphia varied and were not always intuitive (e.g., extended time was not always the best accommodation for students with slow handwriting). The Protocol appears to be a promising tool to assist occupational therapists in selecting the most appropriate accommodations for students with dysgraphia in a systematic manner. However, additional studies are required to further support these results. This study indicates that the selection of the most appropriate accommodation for students with dysgraphia is not always intuitive. It describes a Protocol that enables occupational therapists to select accommodations that are tailored to students' writing abilities, following a systematic process, while considering the students' writing performance with and without accommodations.

Handwriting Legibility and Its Relationship to Spelling Ability and Age: Evidence From Monolingual and Bilingual Children.

Studies of the relationship between spelling and handwriting concur that spelling skills influence the dynamic processes of handwriting. However, it remains unclear whether variations in spelling ability are related to variations in the legibility of handwriting, how important spelling skills are relative to the amount of handwriting experience afforded by an individual’s age and number of years of schooling, or to what extent this relationship may be task- and orthography-specific. We investigated these questions in a study comparing spelling and handwriting legibility in a group of N = 127 Welsh-English bilingual children matched in age and number of years of schooling to a group of N = 127 English-monolingual children, as well as to a group of N = 127 younger, English monolingual children matched to the bilingual group in spelling ability. All groups completed the Spelling and Handwriting Legibility Test (SaHLT) and a broader battery of literacy measures. The bilingual children were found to have poorer handwriting legibility than same age peers, and in some cases, than their younger, spelling-ability peers, suggesting that spelling ability, more so than amount of handwriting experience and years of schooling impacts handwriting legibility. This was corroborated in a series of multi-group path models, where all children’s handwriting was predicted by spelling ability more strongly than by age, and, the effect of spelling generalized across two different spelling tasks in all groups. Finally, bilingual children seemed to draw on general (Welsh) as well as on orthography-specific (English) knowledge when handwriting in English.

An audit of prescription forms of patients from obstetrics and gynecology clinics in tertiary care hospitals: An exploratory study

Objective: The main aim is to analyze the prescription forms to evaluate the completeness of these forms, and we also aim to bring to light the factors which need to be emphasized on while writing a prescription. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective cross-sectional study. Prescriptions of 200 patients visiting the gynecology and antenatal outpatient department (OPD) were evaluated using a specially designed questionnaire containing specific questions pertaining about OPD prescriptions, and a score of 0, 1, or 2 was allotted to each question. Results: In an audit of 200 OPD prescription papers, complete name, age, date of consultation, sex, and OPD registration number of the client were present in 100% prescriptions as it was preprinted. Legible handwriting was seen in 93%. Essential medicines advised were available in the hospital dispensary in 77%. Dosage schedule/doses were clearly written in 85%. Prescription duly signed and the name is written (legibly)/stamped in 87%. The highest score for a prescription was found to be 17/17 and the lowest score for a prescription form was 8/13. Conclusion: Many areas are lagging in prescription writing, especially writing presumptive diagnosis and salient features of clinical examination. Physicians need to improve their prescription writing skills for the benefit of patients.

Pressure distributions on the chair seat and backrest correlate with handwriting outcomes of school children.

Postures while sitting are believed to have an important influence on the process of writing and quality of handwriting, but data in this field are sparse. The current study was undertaken to investigate correlations between 'ordinary' children's handwriting skills and their posture and stability while sitting. Twenty-nine children with typical development (age 9.2±0.8 years) underwent the Hebrew Handwriting Evaluation, while the pressure distributions on their seats and backrests were recorded using a pressure mapping system. There was an increase in the odds of erasing and overwriting letters in dictation tasks when body displacements of the buttocks increased [Odds Ratio (OR) = 1.01, 95% CI 1.000-1.02, p = 0.050]. Children who did not lean on the backrest were more likely to have legible handwriting in copying tasks (OR = 0.136, 95% CI 0.026-0.723, p = 0.019). The awareness and involvement of health practitioners in sitting postures of children at school might promote activities such as writing. Further investigation of movement patterns while writing and of the correlations of these patterns with handwriting outcomes is recommended. More research regarding adjustments at the school environment for children with developmental disorders is also warranted.

Visual-perceptual training for handwriting legibility and speed in children with handwriting difficulties: A single-arm interventional study

Background: Empirical evidence relating motor-free visual-perception (VP) skills and handwriting (HW) legibility and speed is sparse, despite the theoretical belief that VP is necessary for letter recognition and is an essential component of HW. Therefore, the study was carried out to investigate the effect of VP training on scanning skills, motor-free VP skills, and HW legibility and speed. Objectives: The main objective is to study the effect of VP training on HW legibility and speed; motor-free VP skills and scanning skills. Study Design: This was a single-arm interventional study design was chosen for the research. Methods: Single arm of 10 children of either gender between 6 and 10 years of age, with HW difficulties meeting the inclusion and exclusion criteria, was recruited by convenience sampling. They were assessed pre- and post-training (6th and 12th week) using the letter cancellation test (LCT), Test of VP Skills-3rd Edition (TVPS-3) and Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH). The intervention included individualized VP training weekly twice along with home program. Results: The mean scores of LCT, TVPS-3, and Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting-Manuscript (ETCH-M) of n = 10 were analyzed. Post 12-week intervention, statistically significant improvement were found in mean scores of LCT (P

A quantitative study on the relationship between grasp and handwriting legibility: does grasp really matter?

ABSTRACTLiterature has indicated conflicting results regarding the relationship between grasp patterns and legible handwriting. Historically, the dynamic tripod grasp was viewed as the gold standard, but more recent literature indicates that grasp may not have as much of an effect on handwriting legibility as once thought. The purpose of this study is to contribute to this evidence regarding the relationship between grasp and handwriting legibility. The Print Tool, Test of Handwriting Skills-Revised, and a researcher-developed grasp checklist were administered to first- and second-grade students (N = 46). The inference between immature versus mature grasps in relation to legibility remains undetermined. However, there were no statistically significant differences between legibility scores on these two assessments for first- and second-grade students when grouped by pencil grasp. Further research is necessary regarding the relationship of mature versus immature grasps and handwriting legibility.

Handwriting instruction: a commentary on five studies

Handwriting is still a prominent mode for composing for both children and adults As a result, it is important that developing writers acquire fluent and legible handwriting. This article examines the five investigations that were presented in this special issue on handwriting instruction, providing a summary of their collective contributions as well as the limitations of each paper.

Diverse needs of students with learning disabilities: a case study of tutoring two students in algebra

In this exploratory case study, the researchers conducted a descriptive, qualitative microanalysis of the tutoring of two eighth grade students with learning disabilities while solving algebra problems. The researchers analyzed the participants’ problem solving tendencies and interventions that helped the students succeed. One of the students, Nicole, demonstrated considerable capability at supporting her memory and processing by carefully and neatly writing out her steps for solving equations on paper. The other participant, Rachel, struggled at times to organize her thinking processes on paper and solve equations due to poor handwriting legibility, math anxiety and issues of confidence as a learner of mathematics that all seemed to be inter‐related. Both students demonstrated success with solving algebra equations, but Rachel required intensive intervention for addressing her difficulties with math anxiety and visual‐motor integration, while Nicole mostly required mathematics instruction designed to capitalise on her success at creating useful visual representations of her thought processes.

Reading and Writing Skills in Children With Specific Learning Disabilities With and Without Developmental Coordination Disorder.

This pilot study is to investigate the influence of a developmental coordination disorder (DCD) comorbidity in a group of children with learning disability (LD). Reading and writing were assessed to investigate if the coexistence of a motor impairment can worsen writing quality, speed, and reading accuracy. A sample of 33 LD children (aged 7-11 years) was divided in two subgroups, on the base of their scores on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children: LD-only (n = 14) and LD with a comorbidity for DCD (LD-DCD, n = 19). No differences were found in handwriting speed, but significant differences were found in handwriting quality: LD-DCD children showed a worst performance. Reading words and nonwords accuracy was more impaired in LD-only children than in LD-DCD children. Group differences suggest a poorer phonological decoding of the LD-only sample, whereas worst cursive handwriting legibility scores are typical of the motor-impaired subgroup.

Development of the Handwriting Legibility Scale (HLS): A preliminary examination of Reliability and Validity

BackgroundDemands for the production of legible handwriting produced in a timely manner increase as children progress through school. Despite the considerable number of children faced with handwriting difficulties, there is no quick and practical tool to assess legibility in this population. AimThe aim of this study was to develop the Handwriting Legibility Scale (HLS) and to establish the scale’s reliability and validity. MethodsThe HLS is a non-language dependent scale which assesses global legibility, based on five criteria applied to samples of ‘free writing’. Content validity, inter-rater reliability and internal consistency were initially examined using scripts from 20 children aged 8–14 years. Construct validity was established by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of data from 150 school children aged 9–14 years, with an additional examination of gender effects. Discriminant validity of the HLS score was examined in 29 children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and 29 typically developing (TD) children. ResultsThe results indicated high internal consistency (α=0.92). The inter-rater reliability was acceptable but indicates the need to refine the scoring instructions. PCA of the five components revealed a one factor solution explaining 61% of the variance. In the discriminant analysis, 86.2% of the children with DCD and 89.7% of the TD children were correctly classified to their groups based on the total HLS score. ConclusionsThe overall findings suggest that the HLS may be a useful tool to identify poor handwriting legibility, with application across different languages and writing scripts.

Prescribers adherence to the basic principles of prescription order writing in shashemene referral hospital and malka oda district hospital

Aim: Prescription writing is a science and an art, as it conveys the message from the prescriber to the patient. Prescribing an inappropriate drug is a global problem. Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the adherence of prescribers towards the basic principles of prescription order writing. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from February 18 - 22, 2013 to assess the prescriber adherence to basic principle of prescription in Shashemene Referral Hospital (SRH) & Malka Oda District Hospital (MODH) pharmacies on oneyear prescriptions. Results: A Total of 384 prescriptions were analyzed of which 234 &150 prescriptions were collected from MODH & SRH pharmacies respectively. The main findings were, name of the patients and sex was mentioned in 100% & nearly 98% of the prescriptions in both hospital pharmacies. Some prescriptions were found with missing date and legible handwriting which accounted 58.12%, 10% (MODH) & 59.17%, 10% (SRH). However, similar results were obtained for illegible handwriting (10%) in both hospital pharmacies. The most frequently missed drug information by prescribers was the dosage form which accounted 63.25% & 56.67% for MODH & SRH respectively. Conclusion: The results showed that there was relatively poor adherence of prescribers following the basic principles of prescription order writing in both hospital pharmacies. However, the results of SRH were better than MODH. There might be a need for continuing education of prescribers and adoption of best methods to improve the quality of prescription order writing and promote the rational use of drugs.

Relationship between Legible Handwriting and Level of Success of Third Grade Students in Written Expression

This study aims to identify third-grade students’ performance levels for written expression and handwriting and to find the relationship between these performances. The study is based on relational screening model. It is carried out with 110 third grade students. Students’ levels of success in handwriting and in written expression are evaluated with observation forms developed by researchers. The results of the study reveal that third grade students’ success in handwriting is good, while their success in written expression is moderate. The relationship between their success level of handwriting and that of written expression is found to be moderate as well.

Against Self-Reliance: The Arts of Dependence in the Early United States. William Huntting Howell. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015. Pp. 305.

<i>Against Self-Reliance: The Arts of Dependence in the Early United States</i>. William Huntting Howell. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2015. Pp. 305.

Learning handwriting at school – A teachers' survey on actual problems and future options

Abstract The objective of this study was to capture the current problem situation in German primary and secondary schools with regard to handwriting. Understanding the causes of handwriting problems is necessary in order to develop sustainable solutions to make the teaching of handwriting more effective and to enable more appropriate writing materials to be designed. In total, 1907 teachers throughout Germany took part in the survey. In the opinion of all teachers, more than 30% of girls and more than 50% of boys have problems acquiring fluid and legible handwriting. The differences between boys and girls were statistically significant. Problems with handwriting are greater in secondary schools than in primary schools. The teachers' assessment indicates a need for action. The pupils seem to need more and specific support to prevent and reduce writing deficiencies.

TREMORX: AN ASSISTIVE DEVICE TO IMPROVE TREMOR PATIENT WRITING CAPABILITY

Patients with hand tremor often face difficulties in performing daily tasks using their hands, especially writing. Hence, this paper presents an inventive assistive device named as TREMORX that can assist patients in overcoming this situation by improving their handwriting legibility. TREMORX is designed to suit the patient’s handgrip and focuses more on the patient's comfort. The aim is to analyze the performance of the device based on acceleration data by implementing the power spectral density (PSD), which is focused on reduction of coherence amplitude, and displaying the signal in the time and frequency domains. The measured acceleration data are further analyzed with Matlab simulation and show a significant response. The TREMORX is designed in three different lengths of diameter and the stiffness of each one is measured. The effectiveness of the device is identified using the force sensitive resistor (FSR) to measure the force and flex sensor, as to determine the deflection. The results indicate that the patients experienced improvements in handwriting quality when using TREMORX.

The correlation between proprioception and handwriting legibility in children.

[Purpose] This study investigated the association between proprioception, including joint position sense and kinetic sense, and handwriting legibility in healthy children. [Subjects and Methods] Assessment of joint position sense, kinetic sense, and handwriting legibility was conducted for 19 healthy children. Joint position sense was assessed by asking the children to flex their right elbow between 30° to 110° while blindfolded. The range of elbow movement was analyzed with Compact Measuring System 10 for 3D motion Analysis. Kinetic sense was assessed using the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test. The children were directed to write 30 words from the Korean alphabet, and the legibility of their handwriting was scored for form, alignment, space, size, and shape. To analyze the data, descriptive statistics and Spearman correlation analysis were conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics 20.0. [Results] There was significant negative correlation between handwriting legibility and Kinetic sense. A significant correlation between handwriting legibility and Joint position sense was not found. [Conclusion] This study showed that a higher Kinetic sense was associated with better legibility of handwriting. Further work is needed to determine the association of handwriting legibility and speed with Joint position sense of the elbow, wrist, and fingers.