title: Functional handwriting performance in school-age children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
abstract: Handwriting is a critical skill for school success. Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) often present with fine motor and visual-motor impairments that can affect handwriting performance, yet handwriting skills have not been systematically investigated in this clinical group. This study aimed to comprehensively describe handwriting skills in 20 school-age children with FASD. Children were tested with the Process Assessment of the Learner, 2nd Edition (PAL-II), and the Visuomotor Precision subtest of NEPSY, a developmental neuropsychological assessment. Participants performed below average on PAL-II measures of handwriting legibility and speed and on NEPSY visual-motor precision tasks. In contrast, PAL-II measures of sensorimotor skills were broadly within the average range. Results provide evidence of functional handwriting challenges for children with FASD and suggest diminished visual-motor skills and increased difficulty as task complexity increases. Future research is needed to further describe the prevalence and nature of handwriting challenges in this population.
authors: Seattle Children's Hospital, Seattle, WA, USA.
authors: Cherie J
authors: CJ
authors: Duval-White
authors: Tracy
authors: T
authors: Jirikowic
authors: Dianne
authors: D
authors: Rios
authors: Jean
authors: J
authors: Deitz
authors: Heather Carmichael
authors: HC
authors: Olson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D006236:Handwriting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015588:Observer Variation; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
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