Author: Michael Milone, PhD

Cassie Legg & Chris Matzye

TEST OF HANDWRITING SKILLS-REVISED

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

Test-Retest Interrater Validity

Manuscript (0.61-0.85)

N= 46 N= 53Manuscript= 12Cursive= 41

Content= developed so each would be common to a wide variety of children in standard academic settings

Cursive (0.65-0.92) Interval= 14 days Agreement among raters= 0.59-1.00

Construct= developmental changes, exceptional group differences: how these are involved in neurosensory integration

Total test score = 0.82 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