Drawing Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (DPSQ): development, reliability, and validity

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Occupational Therapy
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Preschool children often face drawing difficulties impacting academic readiness.
• Early identification of visual-motor deficits is crucial for timely intervention.
• Existing screening tools may not fully capture the nuances of drawing challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and psychometrically evaluate the Drawing Preschool Screening Questionnaire (DPSQ).
• To assess the DPSQ's utility in identifying drawing difficulties in preschool-aged children.
• To examine the correlation between the DPSQ and established visual-motor integration measures.

Main Methods:

• Teachers administered the DPSQ to 78 preschool children (ages 3-6).
• Children completed geometric drawing tasks using a digitizing tablet (Visual-Motor Integration test).
• Psychometric properties of the DPSQ were analyzed, including internal consistency and group differentiation.

Main Results:

• The DPSQ demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .82).
• Significant correlations were found between DPSQ scores and VMI measures of in-air time (r = .37) and writing pressure (r = .32).
• The DPSQ accurately differentiated between children with and without visual-motor deficits (76% accuracy).

Conclusions:

• The DPSQ is a reliable and valid tool for teachers and occupational therapists.
• It aids in the early identification of visual-motor deficits in preschool children.
• The DPSQ can help predict potential handwriting problems, facilitating early support.