title: Signal-to-noise velocity peaks difference: a new method for evaluating the handwriting movement fluency in children with dysgraphia.
abstract: This study evaluated handwriting movement dysfluency related to dysgraphia. A new variable, the Signal-to-Noise velocity peaks difference (SNvpd), was proposed to describe abnormal velocity fluctuations in cursive handwriting. This variable was compared to two variables most frequently used variables for assessing handwriting fluency. This comparison was carried out for three different groups, children with dysgraphia, proficient children, and adults, all of whom wrote the same single word. The adults were taken as the reference. Results revealed that, of the three variables studied, the SNvpd proved most efficient in discriminating children with dysgraphia, and that furthermore, it had the significant advantage of facilitating the localization of dysfluency peaks within a word. Our results also showed that the movement dysfluency of children with dysgraphia was specific to certain letters. In light of these results, we discuss the methodological and theoretical relevance of this new variable to the analysis of handwriting movement with the aim of characterizing dysgraphia.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Neurosciences Cognitives, UMR 7291, CNRS - Aix-Marseille Université, France; Brain and Language Research Institute, LPL, CNRS - Aix-Marseille Université, France. Electronic address: jeremy.danna@univ-amu.fr.
authors.forename: Jérémy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Danna
authors.forename: Vietminh
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Paz-Villagrán
authors.forename: Jean-Luc
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Velay
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000381:Agraphia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006236:Handwriting; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology*; D009068:Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D059629:Signal-To-Noise Ratio
keywords: Diagnosis; Dysgraphia; Handwriting; Learning disabilities; Movement fluency