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Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire for Children (HPSQ-C): Development, Reliability, and Validity
Sara Rosenblum1, Liat Gafni-Lachter2
1Sara Rosenblum, PhD, is Associate Professor and Head, Laboratory of Complex Human Activity and Participation (CHAP), Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa, Israel; rosens@research.haifa.ac.il.
Summary
The Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire for Children (HPSQ-C) is a reliable tool for identifying handwriting difficulties in school-aged children. This adapted questionnaire shows strong validity for clinical and academic use.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Occupational Therapy
- Educational Psychology
- Child Development
Background:
- Handwriting difficulties are common in school-aged children, impacting academic performance.
- Existing screening tools like the Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ) were primarily designed for adults.
- A validated self-report measure for children is needed to efficiently screen for handwriting deficiencies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To adapt the adult Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire (HPSQ) into a children's self-report version (HPSQ-C).
- To evaluate the reliability and validity of the newly developed HPSQ-C for use with children aged 7-14 years.
Main Methods:
- The HPSQ was adapted for children, resulting in the HPSQ-C.
- Content validity, internal consistency, and concurrent and construct validity were assessed.
- 230 children (ages 7-14) from Israeli schools participated in the study.
Main Results:
- The HPSQ-C demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .77).
- Concurrent validity was established through a significant moderate correlation with the adult HPSQ (r=.51, p<.001).
- The HPSQ-C successfully differentiated between children with and without handwriting deficiencies, confirmed by handwriting product and process evaluations.
Conclusions:
- The Handwriting Proficiency Screening Questionnaire for Children (HPSQ-C) is a reliable and valid self-report measure.
- The HPSQ-C is suitable for identifying handwriting deficiencies in school-aged children.
- The tool is appropriate for diverse academic and clinical applications.
