Effectiveness of Chinese Handwriting Intervention Program for Children With ASD

NCT05841511 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 202302086RINB
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 22
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This research aims to investigate the effectiveness and acceptability of the newly developed Chinese handwriting performance intervention program

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Keywords

handwriting performance; neurodevelopmental disorder; visual perceptual skills; fine motor skills; visual motor integration skills

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

• Changes of Chinese Handwriting Legibility Assessment for Children (CHLAC)

  CHLAC is a self-developed assessment tool to measure handwriting legibility. The participants will be requested to copy the printed 10 Chinese characters to 2\*2cm squares on the exam sheet. These Chinese characters were selected from three versions of current mandarin textbooks, and those with high-frequency and around-the-average stroke counts were chosen. These chosen characters were then selected to ensure a similar ratio of each character type in the test. A trained examiner will score the character legibility according to handwriting legibility and amounts of incorrect strokes. The handwriting legibility dimensions include size, position, orientation, proportion, and space. The total score for handwriting legibility will be 50, and a higher score indicates more legible handwriting. The incorrect strokes will also be counted; a higher score indicates less legible handwriting.

  baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1- midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week)

• Changes of The Battery of Chinese Basic Literacy (BCBL)

  The BCBL is a standardized assessment to evaluate Chinese reading and writing skills. It consists of reading and writing tests. Only the copying subtest will be administered in this study to measure the handwriting speed of participants. In this test, the participant is requested to correctly and accurately copy 25 Chinese characters printed on the exam sheet (near copy subtest and 25 Chinese characters displayed on a cloth strip (far copy subtest). The number of correct characters written within the prescribed time will be calculated and converted into character copy per minute to represent their handwriting speed.

  baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1- midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Changes of Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual-Motor Integration - Sixth Edition (VMI-6)

  baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1- midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week)

• Changes of Developmental Test of Visual Perception - Third Edition (DTVP-3)

  baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1- midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week)

• Changes of Test of Visual Perceptual Skills - Fourth Edition (TVPS-4)

  baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1- midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week)

• Changes of Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency - Second Edition (BOT-2)

  baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1- midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week)

• Changes of Pediatric Motivation Questionnaire (PMQ) and Satisfaction Questionnaire for the caregiver (SQ)

  baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1- midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week)

Study Arms (2)

Immediate treatment group

EXPERIMENTAL

The immediate treatment group will receive the intervention in the first time period, while the wait-list control group will receive the intervention program during the second time period. Baseline and outcome evaluation will be accessed at three-time points: baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1-midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week) in this study. To establish and develop an efficient program, several theories were implemented into the intervention design to address handwriting problems in children with ASD, including psycho-geometric theory, motor learning theory, and cognitive training theories. The intervention will be delivered in thirty-six activities for visual perceptual, fine motor, and visual motor integration skill training integrated with the unique properties of the Chinese writing system. A total of 12 hours of intervention program will be conducted in eight sessions within four weeks.

Behavioral: Chinese handwriting intervention program for children with ASD, named "Go Go Handwriting - ASD version"

Wait-list control group

EXPERIMENTAL

The immediate treatment group will receive the intervention in the first time period, while the wait-list control group will receive the intervention program during the second time period. Baseline and outcome evaluation will be accessed at three-time points: baseline assessment (1st week), assessment 1-midway (5th week), and assessment 2-final (10th week) in this study. To establish and develop an efficient program, several theories were implemented into the intervention design to address handwriting problems in children with ASD, including psycho-geometric theory, motor learning theory, and cognitive training theories. The intervention will be delivered in thirty-six activities for visual perceptual, fine motor, and visual motor integration skill training integrated with the unique properties of the Chinese writing system. A total of 12 hours of intervention program will be conducted in eight sessions within four weeks.

Behavioral: Chinese handwriting intervention program for children with ASD, named "Go Go Handwriting - ASD version"

Interventions

Chinese handwriting intervention program for children with ASD, named "Go Go Handwriting - ASD version" BEHAVIORAL

The intervention program was developed and finalized by a group of occupational therapist specialists in the pediatric field. Thirty-six 20-minute activities with twelve activities for each handwriting fundamental skill were designed in this program. All intervention activities were designed based on the characteristic of Chinese characters and included different types of characters. The activities designed will also be graded according to the following principle: (1) the similarities between the character given, (2) the complexity of the figure or character in the activities, and (3) the frequency and level of therapist assistance. Furthermore, a playful and interesting intervention context will also be integratedinto the program with the design of the adventure journey of an astronaut to further facilitate the motivation and participation of the participants in our program.

Immediate treatment group; Wait-list control group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 6 Years - 9 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• first or second grader
• reported problems with poor handwriting legibility or performed less readable handwriting as claimed by their school teachers or caregivers
• score at most 33 scores in overall legibility dimension or at-least 45 incorrect strokes in Chinese Handwriting Legibility Assessment for Children (CHLAC)
• previously diagnosed with ASD
• and score at least seven scores in Autism Behavior Checklist Taiwan Version (ABC-T) will be included in this study.

You may not qualify if:

• any physical disability affecting the upper limb
• any hearing or visual impairment
• intelligence quotient below 70 or previously diagnosed with intellectual disability
• unable to follow the evaluation instruction.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Taiwan University Hospital: lead

Study Sites (1)

National Taiwan University, Department of Occupational Therapy

Taipei, 100, Taiwan

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Child Development Disorders, Pervasive; Mental Disorders

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: DOUBLE
• Who Masked: INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 21, 2023
• First Posted: May 3, 2023
• Study Start: April 7, 2023
• Primary Completion: May 4, 2023
• Study Completion: May 4, 2023
• Last Updated: March 12, 2024

Record last verified: 2024-03

Locations

TW (1)