Kinematic analysis of fast pen strokes in children with ADHD

Is There a Deficit in Product and Process of Handwriting in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder? A Systematic Review and Recommendations for Future Research

Handwriting abnormalities in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have sometimes been reported both (i) at the product level (i.e., quality/legibility of the written trace and speed of writing) and (ii) at the process level (i.e., dynamic and kinematic features, such as on-paper and in-air durations, pen pressure and velocity peaks, etc.). Conversely, other works have failed to reveal any differences between ADHD and typically developing children. The question of the presence and nature of handwriting deficits in ADHD remains open and merits an in-depth examination. The aim of this systematic review was, therefore, to identify studies that have investigated the product and/or process of handwriting in children with ADHD compared to typically developing individuals. This review was conducted and reported in accordance with the PRISMA statement. A literature search was carried out using three electronic databases. The methodological quality of the studies was systematically assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) criteria. Twenty-one articles were identified. Of these, 17 described handwriting quality/legibility, 12 focused on speed and 14 analyzed the handwriting process. All the studies (100%) with satisfactory methodology procedures reported an impaired product and process in children with ADHD, while 25% evidenced a difference in the speed of production. Most importantly, the studies differed widely in their methodological approaches. Substantial gaps remain, particularly with regard to ascertaining comorbidities, ADHD subtypes and the medical status of the included children. The lack of overall homogeneity in the samples calls for higher quality studies. We conclude with recommendations for further studies.

Psychomotor intervention to improve handwriting skills in children with ADHD: A single-case experimental design with direct inter-subject and systematic replications

Dysgraphia is highly prevalent in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and adversely affects academic and developmental trajectories. To date, no study has rigorously examined the effects of a training program on handwriting quality in this specific population. Our objective was thus to develop an innovative program - we entitled PRO-PEN - and to evaluate its effects. We planned a multiple-baseline design across participants from grade 3-5, with direct inter-subject and systematic replications. Children of Group 1 (n = 4) were diagnosed with ADHD. Systematic replication was conducted in a second group of participants (Group 2, n = 4) with a diagnosis of developmental coordination disorder in addition to ADHD. The primary assessment focused on quality of handwriting. Generalization measures evaluated diverse neuropsychological and behavioural domains. In Group 1, effect sizes regarding handwriting quality were large (Taus > .60). Improvement was also observed for children of Group 2 (Taus > .50). Importantly, the positive effects persisted three months after the end of the training. Generalization effects extended beyond handwriting sphere. Therefore, PRO-PEN can be considered a promising training program for improving handwriting quality in ADHD, with a possible impact on wide cerebral regulation loops underpinning both handwriting and other neuropsychological and behavioural domains.

Technologies to support the diagnosis and/or treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders: A systematic review

In recent years, there has been a great interest in utilizing technology in mental health research. The rapid technological development has encouraged researchers to apply technology as a part of a diagnostic process or treatment of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs). With the large number of studies being published comes an urgent need to inform clinicians and researchers about the latest advances in this field. Here, we methodically explore and summarize findings from studies published between August 2019 and February 2022. A search strategy led to the identification of 4108 records from PubMed and APA PsycInfo databases. 221 quantitative studies were included, covering a wide range of technologies used for diagnosis and/or treatment of NDDs, with the biggest focus on Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The most popular technologies included machine learning, functional magnetic resonance imaging, electroencephalogram, magnetic resonance imaging, and neurofeedback. The results of the review indicate that technology-based diagnosis and intervention for NDD population is promising. However, given a high risk of bias of many studies, more high-quality research is needed.

A survey of visual and procedural handwriting analysis for neuropsychological assessment

To date, Artificial Intelligence systems for handwriting and drawing analysis have primarily targeted domains such as writer identification and sketch recognition. Conversely, the automatic characterization of graphomotor patterns as biomarkers of brain health is a relatively less explored research area. Despite its importance, the work done in this direction is limited and sporadic. This paper aims to provide a survey of related work to provide guidance to novice researchers and highlight relevant study contributions. The literature has been grouped into “visual analysis techniques” and “procedural analysis techniques”. Visual analysis techniques evaluate offline samples of a graphomotor response after completion. On the other hand, procedural analysis techniques focus on the dynamic processes involved in producing a graphomotor reaction. Since the primary goal of both families of strategies is to represent domain knowledge effectively, the paper also outlines the commonly employed handwriting representation and estimation methods presented in the literature and discusses their strengths and weaknesses. It also highlights the limitations of existing processes and the challenges commonly faced when designing such systems. High-level directions for further research conclude the paper.

Sensorised Low-Cost Pencils for Developing Countries: A Quantitative Analysis of Handwriting Learning Progress in Children with/without Disabilities from a Sustainable Perspective

Learning to write is a demanding endeavour that requires a combination of linguistic, motor and cognitive skills. Some children suffer from delay or inability to acquire those skills, which often hampers their performance at school and brings about serious consequences for self-esteem, personal expectations and social relationships. The situation worsens in developing countries, due to the lack of resources and specialised personnel. With this background, this paper describes an experiment with a newly-developed sensorised pencil with triangular prism shape, which is shown to yield substantial improvements in children with/without special education needs. A team of experts in the areas of speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational psychology, physiotherapy and pedagogy have expressed very positive opinions about the sensorised pencil and the accompanying software for the acquisition and analysis of quantitative data about handwriting. Furthermore, the device stands out for its low cost in comparison with similar developments, which is a key factor to aid children from low-income families. This fact is explained with a success story of manufacturing and delivering sensorised pencils in the Ecuadorian province of Azuay, framed in a multi-layer sustainable development perspective based on collaboration of several institutions and individuals.

Central and Peripheral Shoulder Fatigue Pre-screening Using the Sigma-Lognormal Model: A Proof of Concept

Background

Clinical tests for detecting central and peripheral shoulder fatigue are limited. The discrimination of these two types of fatigue is necessary to better adapt recovery intervention. The Kinematic Theory of Rapid Human Movements describes the neuromotor impulse response using lognormal functions and has many applications in pathology detection. The ideal motor control is modeled and a change in the neuromuscular system is reflected in parameters extracted according to this theory.

Objective

The objective of this study was to assess whether a shoulder neuromuscular fatigue could be detected through parameters describing the theory, if there is the possibility to discriminate central from peripheral fatigue, and which handwriting test gives the most relevant information on fatigue.

Methods

Twenty healthy participants performed two sessions of fast stroke handwriting on a tablet, before and after a shoulder fatigue. The fatigue was in internal rotation for one session and in external rotation during the other session. The drawings consisted of simple strokes, triangles, horizontal, and vertical oscillations. Parameters of these strokes were extracted according to the Sigma–Lognormal model of the Kinematic Theory. The evolution of each participant was analyzed through a U-Mann–Whitney test for individual comparisons. A Hotelling’s T²-test and a U-Mann–Whitney test were also performed on all participants to assess the group evolution after fatigue. Moreover, a correlation among parameters was calculated through Spearman coefficients to assess intrinsic parameters properties of each handwriting test.

Results

Central and peripheral parameters were statistically different before and after fatigue with a possibility to discriminate them. Participants had various responses to fatigue. However, when considering the group, parameters related to the motor program execution showed significant increase in the handwriting tests after shoulder fatigue. The test of simple strokes permits to know more specifically where the fatigue comes from, whereas the oscillations tests were the most sensitive to fatigue.

Conclusion

The results of this study suggest that the Sigma–Lognormal model of the Kinematic Theory is an innovative approach for fatigue detection with discrimination between the central and peripheral systems. Overall, there is a possibility to implement the setting for clinics and sports personalized follow-up.

Handwriting in children with Attention Deficient Hyperactive Disorder: role of graphology

Background

Handwriting difficulties are common in children with attention deficient hyperactive disorder (ADHD). The aim of our study was to find distinctive characteristics of handwriting in children with ADHD by using graphology to analyze physical characteristics and patterns, and to evaluate whether graphological analysis is an effective ADHD diagnostic tool for clinicians.

Method

The cohort included 49 children aged 13–18 years attending a tertiary neurology and epilepsy center in 2016–2017; 22 had a previous DSM-IV/V diagnosis of ADHD. The children were asked to write a 10–12-line story in Hebrew on a blank sheet of paper with a blue pen over a 20-min period. The samples were analyzed by a licensed graphologist blinded to the clinical details of the children against a predetermined handwriting profile of individuals with ADHD. Each ADHD characteristic identified in each sample was accorded 1 point, up to a total of 15 points. Patients with a graphology score of 9–15 were considered to have ADHD.

Results

There were 21 boys (43%) and 28 girls (57%) in the cohort; 15 boys (71.4%) and 7 girls (25%) had a DSM-IV/V diagnosis of ADHD. The mean graphology score was significantly higher in the children who had a DSM-IV/V diagnosis of ADHD than in the children who did not (9.61 + 3.49 vs. 5.79 + 4.01, p = 0.002, respectfully). Using a score of 9 as the cutoff, in the girls, graphology had a specificity of 80% (95% CI 59.2–92.8) and a of sensitivity 71.4% for predicting ADHD. Corresponding values in the boys were 75.0 and 76.2%.

Conclusion

The handwriting of children with ADHD has specific characteristics. Graphology may serve as a clinically useful tool in the diagnosis of ADHD.