Developing a generic approach to online automated analysis of writing and drawing tests in clinical patient profiling

Writing and drawing tests are widely used in the clinical environment for the diagnosis of a variety of neuropsychological conditions. Conventional assessment of these tests involves the inspection by trained assessors of the completed patient response. This article describes the development of a computer-based framework for data capture, automated feature analysis, and result reporting for a range of drawing- and writing-based test batteries. In developing this framework, we have exploited the commonality between tasks while allowing for both flexibility in configuration across condition-specific testing requirements and extensibility for future test development. Using the two example clinical conditions of visuospatial neglect and dyspraxia, we illustrate the advantages of utilizing a computer-based analysis system, describe a structured approach to system implementation, and demonstrate the generality of this implementation for different conditions of interest, which extends to feature selection and design.