Visual and Haptic Perception Training to Improve Handwriting Skills in Children With Dysgraphia

We investigated a visual-perceptual and haptic-perceptual training program to enhance motor skills and Chinese handwriting performance among children with handwriting difficulties. The participants were 28 first- and second-grade children with handwriting difficulties. They were matched according to age and then randomly assigned into a control group or an experimental group. Participants in the experimental group received 12 sessions of a training program, whereas those in the control group received conventional handwriting training. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-Third Edition (TVPS-3), Tactual Performance Test (TPT), and Battery of Chinese Basic Literacy (BCBL) were all administered before and after 6 wk of intervention. Repeated-measures analysis of variance revealed that the experimental group showed significant improvement on the TVPS-3 but not on the TPT. Along with the improved visual-perceptual skills, the experimental group showed a significant difference in far-point copy speed and handwriting accuracy, as reflected in the BCBL.