Development and validation of the comprehensive praxis assessment for children aged 6-8.

This study examined the psychometric properties of motor praxis using a large school-based sample of children (n=239). We developed and evaluated the construct validity of a motor praxis assessment using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A model with four latent variables was evaluated for goodness of fit. CFA established that the scale was multifactorial and supported the four-factor model (motor imagery, verbal gesture production, imitative gesture production and knowledge of object-use). The internal consistency, inter-rater reliability and concurrent validity of the praxis assessment mostly demonstrated good to excellent results for the full scale and the subscales. The motor praxis demonstrated an ontogenic progression in 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds, suggesting a developmental trend during these ages, but with the exception of gestural representation on imitation. Implications for motor development and clinical evaluation are discussed herein in relation to the four instruments.

The preliminary development of computer-assisted assessment of Chinese handwriting performance.

This paper describes a pilot study investigating an assessment for Chinese handwriting performance. In an attempt to computerize the existing Tseng Handwriting Problem Checklist (Tseng Checklist), this study employed MATLAB to develop a computer program entitled the Chinese Handwriting Assessment Program (CHAP) to be used for the evaluation of handwriting performance. Through a template-matching approach, the program processed each character by using size-adjustable standard models to calculate the two-dimensional cross-correlation coefficient of a template and a superimposed handwritten character. The program measured the size control, spacing, alignment, and the average resemblance between standard models and handwritten characters. The results of the CHAP's test-retest reliability showed that the high correlation coefficients (from .81 to .94) were statistically significant. Correlations between each CHAP and Tseng Checklist item were statistically significant. As these assessment tools for handwriting performance are required for quantitative and qualitative aspects, the integration of the two tools is a promising means for accomplishing a handwriting performance assessment.