Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population
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 handwrit...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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| Series: | Children |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/223 |
| _version_ | 1827758124602228736 |
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| author | Annalivia Loizzo Valerio Zaccaria Barbara Caravale Carlo Di Brina |
| author_facet | Annalivia Loizzo Valerio Zaccaria Barbara Caravale Carlo Di Brina |
| author_sort | Annalivia Loizzo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and resulted as a stable parameter along the school years, without significant variations with regard to the years spent in handwriting exercise (<i>p</i> = 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 (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but not for gender (<i>p</i> = 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. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:00:10Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-abe7ab548a9049b7af5788f6518cfcae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-9067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:00:10Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Children |
| spelling | doaj.art-abe7ab548a9049b7af5788f6518cfcae2023-11-16T19:47:44ZengMDPI AGChildren2227-90672023-01-0110222310.3390/children10020223Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian PopulationAnnalivia Loizzo0Valerio Zaccaria1Barbara Caravale2Carlo Di Brina3Centro di Riabilitazione Didasco, Via Pescosolido 160, 00158 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Marsi 78, 00185 Rome, ItalyDepartment of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Via dei Sabelli 108, 00185 Rome, ItalyHandwriting 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 (<i>p</i> < 0.05) and resulted as a stable parameter along the school years, without significant variations with regard to the years spent in handwriting exercise (<i>p</i> = 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 (<i>p</i> < 0.05), but not for gender (<i>p</i> = 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/223BHKhandwriting skillshandwriting difficultiesprimary school children |
| spellingShingle | Annalivia Loizzo Valerio Zaccaria Barbara Caravale Carlo Di Brina Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population Children BHK handwriting skills handwriting difficulties primary school children |
| title | Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population |
| title_full | Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population |
| title_fullStr | Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population |
| title_short | Validation of the Concise Assessment Scale for Children’s Handwriting (BHK) in an Italian Population |
| title_sort | validation of the concise assessment scale for children s handwriting bhk in an italian population |
| topic | BHK handwriting skills handwriting difficulties primary school children |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9067/10/2/223 |
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