Differences in Hebrew Handwriting Skills Between Israeli Children in Second and Third Grade

Abstract

The characteristics of the development of the Hebrew handwriting and its underlying perceptual motor components were studied on 191 typically developing Israeli children in second and third grade. Developmental progression was found in the various characteristics between second and third grade children. Girls performed better than boys on most aspects. Among the underlying perceptual motor components, visual-motor integration, as measured by the Visual-Motor Integration Test (VMI-Beery, 1989) was the only significant predictor of the quality of handwriting. Similar results have been found in studies done in English, Norwegian, and Chinese. The results demonstrate that some characteristics of handwriting are perhaps universal and independent of the features that are unique to the script and the learning process of a particular language. These results provide insight into possible assessment strategies and treatment options for children who do have handwriting deficits, thus enabling inclusion of these children in regular classrooms.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Aviva Yochman

Michael Lepp, PT, is in private practice, Associate Instructor of the Upledger Institute, and Clinical Instructor, Case Western Reserve University School of Dentistry, Cleveland, OH.

Marie McKenzie, MS, OTR, is in private practice. She was Coordinator of Occupational Therapy at Scottish Rite Hospital at the time of this study.

Heather Miller, MS, OTR/L, is currently employed by Madison County Educational Service Center, providing therapy services to the county's pre-schools. This research was completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements of an MS degree at Ohio State University.

Linda Viscardis, BA, is Team Leader and Community Development Worker, Peterborough Family Enrichment Centre. She is Co-Founder of P.R.O.S.P.E.C.T.S., a support and advocacy group for families who have children with special needs.

Debra Stewart, BSc, OT(C), is Occupational Therapist, Erinoak, Serving Young People with Physical Disabilities, Mississauga, ON, and Clinical Lecturer, School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University.

Janette McDougall, MA, was Project Coordinator

Kip Husted, BEd, was a parent representative on the study team.

Aviva Yochman, MA, OTR, was a student in the School of Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel at the time of this study.