title: Kinesthetic sensitivity and related measures of hand sensitivity in children with nonproficient handwriting.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study compared measures of hand sensitivity and handwriting quality in children aged 10 to 12 years identified by their teachers as having nonproficient or proficient handwriting. We hypothesized that children with nonproficient handwriting have decreased kinesthetic sensitivity of the hands and digits.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen subjects without documented motor or cognitive concerns were tested for kinesthetic sensitivity, discriminate tactile awareness, diadochokinesia, stereognosis, and graphesthesia. Eight children were considered to have nonproficient handwriting; 8 had proficient handwriting. Nonparametric Mann-Whitney U tests were used to identify differences between groups on sensory tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 2 groups showed a statistically significant difference in handwriting legibility (P = .018). No significant difference was found on tests of kinesthetic sensitivity or other measures of sensation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children presenting with handwriting difficulty as the only complaint have similar sensitivity in hands and digits as those with proficient handwriting. Failure to detect differences may result from a small sample size.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Therapy, Pacific University, Forest Grove, Oregon, and Seattle Public Schools, Seattle, Washington, USA. aoleary@seattleschools.org
authors.forename: Anne O'Leary
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Brink
authors.forename: Anne Burleigh
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Jacobs
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006225:Hand / Q000473:pathology* / Q000502:physiology; D006236:Handwriting; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007699:Kinesthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D010865:Pilot Projects; D016059:Range of Motion, Articular; D012678:Sensation Disorders / Q000473:pathology*; D020886:Somatosensory Disorders / Q000473:pathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires