Relation between manual dexterity and handwriting legibility in children: pilot study

Abstract

AIM: To examine the relationship between handwriting legibility, manual dexterity, visuomotor coordination and manual tactile discrimination in 1st and 2nd grade children. METHODS: Forty children divided in four groups were evaluated with the Avaliação da Coordenação e Destreza Motora (ACOORDEM) and the Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration (VMI). Legibility was rated as good or poor by two pedagogues. RESULTS: When comparing the performance of the 1rst grade children, Mann-Whitney test identified significant differences in five ACOORDEM's items and in the VMI. Considering the 2nd graders, statistical differences were found only in seven items of the ACOORDEM. CONCLUSION: The results reaffirm the idea that visuomotor coordination is a relevant component for children in 1rst grade who are in the initial stages of handwriting acquisition; however, data on manual dexterity and manual tactile discrimination were inconsistent.