Lin Yu-Chen, Chao Yen-Li, Wu Shyi-Kuen, Lin Ho-Hsio, Hsu Chieh-Hsiang, Hsu Hsiao-Man, Kuo Li-Chieh
Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Department of Occupational Therapy, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Aust Occup Ther J. 2017 Oct;64(5):369-380. doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12393. Epub 2017 May 16.
BACKGROUND/AIM: Numerous tools have been developed to evaluate handwriting performances by analysing written products. However, few studies have directly investigated kinetic performances of digits when holding a pen. This study thus attempts to investigate pen-grip kinetics during writing tasks of school-age children and explore the relationship between the kinetic factors and fine motor skills.
This study recruited 181 children aged from 5 to 12 years old and investigated the effects of age on handwriting kinetics and the relationship between these and fine motor skills. The forces applied from the digits and pen-tip were measured during writing tasks via a force acquisition pen, and the children's fine motor performances were also evaluated.
The results indicate that peak force and average force might not be direct indicators of handwriting performance for normally developing children at this age. Younger children showed larger force variation and lower adjustment frequency during writing, which might indicate they had poorer force control than the older children. Force control when handling a pen is significantly correlated with fine motor performance, especially in relation to the manual dexterity.
CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY: A novel system is proposed for analysing school-age children's force control while handwriting. We observed the development of force control in relation to pen grip among the children with different ages in this study. The findings suggested that manipulation skill may be crucial when children are establishing their handwriting capabilities.
背景/目的：已经开发出许多工具，通过分析书写作品来评估书写表现。然而，很少有研究直接调查握笔时手指的动力学表现。因此，本研究试图调查学龄儿童书写任务期间的握笔动力学，并探讨动力学因素与精细运动技能之间的关系。
本研究招募了181名5至12岁的儿童，调查年龄对书写动力学的影响以及这些因素与精细运动技能之间的关系。在书写任务期间，通过测力笔测量手指和笔尖施加的力，并对儿童的精细运动表现进行评估。
结果表明，对于这个年龄段正常发育的儿童，峰值力和平均力可能不是书写表现的直接指标。年幼儿童在书写过程中表现出更大的力变化和更低的调整频率，这可能表明他们的力控制比年长儿童更差。握笔时的力控制与精细运动表现显著相关，尤其是与手部灵活性有关。
结论/研究意义：提出了一种用于分析学龄儿童书写时力控制的新系统。在本研究中，我们观察了不同年龄儿童在握笔方面力控制的发展情况。研究结果表明，在儿童建立书写能力时，操作技能可能至关重要。
