On the development of a computer-based handwriting assessment tool to objectively quantify handwriting proficiency in children.

Standardized writing assessments such as the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA) can inform interventions for handwriting difficulties, which are prevalent among school-aged children. However, these tests usually involve the laborious task of subjectively rating the legibility of the written product, precluding their practical use in some clinical and educational settings. This study describes a portable computer-based handwriting assessment tool to objectively measure MHA quality scores and to detect handwriting difficulties in children.

Grip force variability and its effects on children's handwriting legibility, form, and strokes.

A comprehensive understanding of the underlying biomechanical processes during handwriting is needed to accurately guide clinical interventions. To date, quantitative measurement of such biomechanical processes has largely excluded measurements of the forces exerted radially on the barrel of the writing utensil (grip forces) and how they vary over time during a handwriting task. An instrumented writing utensil was deployed for a direct measurement of kinematic and temporal information during a writing task, as well as forces exerted on the writing surface and on the barrel of the pen.

Evaluation of an occupational therapy mentorship program: effects on therapists' skills and family-centered behavior.

There is growing interest in understanding the usefulness of mentorship programs for children's rehabilitation service providers. This evaluation study examined the effects of an occupational therapy mentorship program on the skills and behaviors of 8 new and 17 experienced occupational therapists practicing at a regional children's rehabilitation center. Self- and peer-report measures of family-centered behavior, critical thinking ability, listening/interactive communication skill, and clinical behavior were collected before and after an 11-month facilitated, collaborative group mentorship intervention.

Rater reliability of the adapted scoring criteria of the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment for children with cerebral palsy.

Background/aim: Current handwriting assessment tools are standardised mostly on typically developing students. This study estimated the intrarater and interrater reliabilities of the adapted scoring criteria, titled the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment-Cerebral Palsy (MHA-CP), for evaluating the effectiveness of handwriting interventions for children with cerebral palsy.

Methods: We scored two batches of 20 random samples each from 80 handwriting samples produced by 30 children with cerebral palsy using the MHA-CP to estimate the intrarater and interrater reliabilities, respectively.

Perceptions of writing and communication aid use among children with a physical disability.

Children with physical disabilities (CPD) often experience decreased opportunities to participate in daily occupations. Occupational therapists (OTs) prescribe writing and communication aids; however, little is known about this population's perceptions of the technology. This qualitative study explored the perceptions that CPD had regarding their writing and communication aids.

Evaluating the benefits of displaying word prediction lists on a personal digital assistant at the keyboard level.

Visual-cognitive loads influence the effectiveness of word prediction technology. Adjusting parameters of word prediction programs can lessen visual-cognitive loads. This study evaluated the benefits of WordQ word prediction software for users' performance when the prediction window was moved to a personal digital assistant (PDA) device placed at the keyboard level.

Developing a support group for families with children with disabilities in a Canadian Chinese church community.

This article presents an overview of the difficulties families face when raising a child with disability. With language barriers and limited support, immigrant families have difficulties in locating necessary resources for their children. The experience of a support group for parents with children with disabilities in a Canadian Chinese immigrant church is reported and discussed.

Movement-to-music computer technology: a developmental play experience for children with severe physical disabilities.

Children with severe physical disabilities often lack the physical skills to explore their environment independently, and to play with toys or musical instruments. The movement-to-music (MTM) system is an affordable computer system that allows children with limited movements to play and create music. The present study explored parents' experiences of using the MTM system with their children.

A novel instrument for quantifying grip activity during handwriting.

Objective: To describe and exemplify a noninvasive instrumentation system that uniquely records grip forces exerted on the barrel of the writing utensil along with typical temporal and kinematic parameters.

Design: Exploratory case series.

Setting: A tertiary care, pediatric rehabilitation hospital.

Measuring the outcomes of word cueing technology.

Background: Measurement of assistive technology outcomes is complex because many factors (e.g., environment and model of service delivery) influence the successful use of the technology.

Perceived benefits of word prediction intervention on written productivity in children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.

Word prediction has been commonly used as a tool to enhance written productivity. However, the effectiveness of word prediction as a strategy to meet this targeted outcome has not been established. Using a single-subject alternating treatments design, this study evaluated the effect of word prediction on written productivity from the users' perspectives.