Impact on writing alphabet symbols using an orthographic handwriting programme (The Secret Code), for children with handwriting difficulties, in year one or two of primary school.

• Register: ANZCTR
• Last refreshed on: 13 January 2020
• Main ID: ACTRN12616000573459
• Date of registration: 03/05/2016
• Prospective Registration: Yes
• Primary sponsor: Kathryn Mathwin
• Public title: Impact on writing alphabet symbols using an orthographic handwriting programme (The Secret Code), for children with handwriting difficulties, in year one or two of primary school.
• Scientific title: Impact on writing alphabet symbols using an orthographic handwriting programme (The Secret Code), for children with handwriting difficulties, in year one or two of primary school.
• Date of first enrolment: 23/05/2016
• Target sample size: 10
• Recruitment status: Completed
• URL: https://anzctr.org.au/ACTRN12616000573459.aspx
• Study type: Interventional
• Study design: Purpose: Treatment; Allocation: Non-randomised trial; Masking: Open (masking not used);Assignment: Other;Type of endpoint: Efficacy;
• Phase: Not Applicable

Countries of recruitment

Australia

Contacts

• Name: Dr Christine Chapparo

• Name: Mrs Kathryn Mathwin

Key inclusion & exclusion criteria

Inclusion criteria: Once consent has been received from the parents for their child to participate in the study, the child will be screened to determine if they fit the criteria for eligibility to be included in the research. The eligibility for the inclusion in the study is
Attend regular primary schools and be in grade one or two.
Have no known neurological deficits or diagnosis such physical impairment, vision impaired, hearing impaired, speech impaired, intellectual delay or autism.
Score 60% or less on the Stage One of the Mastery of the PRPP assessment of writing the alphabet.

Exclusion criteria: If the child does not meet the inclusion criteria -
not in the correct age bracket
have a diagnosis (as listed in the inclusion criteria)
unable to speak fluent English
score above 60 % on the Stage One of the Mastery of the PRPP assessment of writing the alphabet.

Age minimum: 6 Years
Age maximum: 8 Years
Gender: Both males and females

Health Condition(s) or Problem(s) studied

Children in year one or two, who have no known neurological diagnosis but have difficulty with learning to write.;
Children in year one or two, who have no known neurological diagnosis but have difficulty with learning to write.

Other - Research that is not of generic health relevance and not applicable to specific health categories listed above

Intervention(s)

Phase A - Samples of the child's writing is taken from class to measure and as well the child will visit the researcher (experienced occupational therapist) where they will be recorded writing the alphabet and a sentence. This will occur over a minimum of 3 weeks and no more than 6 weeks, to determine a stable baseline of the child's writing performance from in class handwriting instruction.

Phase B - The intervention being tested, is the 'Secret Code', a novel orthographic handwriting programme, to help children in year one or two, who are having difficulty learning to write. The children will visit the researcher (experienced occupational therapist), for an individual one-on-one session, twice a week for ten weeks, for forty five minute sessions. The "Secret Code' intervention includes -
Teaching the children the eight shape components that alphabet letters are constructed from and ensure they understand direction, orientation and the colour and name of each of these shapes
The children then learn how each alphabet letter is constructed with these stroke component shapes. Because many children with difficulty learning to write have memory problems, this step utilises memory strategies such as association, stories and colour.
Once this step has been achieved the children learn how these shape components are placed on the dotted third lined paper and this is a crucial step that ensures legibility of their writing.
From here children learn the concepts necessary to write a legible sentence such as the spaces necessary between letters in words, spaces between words and punctuation.
Slowly the programme layers on new learning to help children learn how to write longer text.

The first steps mentioned are what will be taught in the resea

Primary Outcome(s)

To determine the impact of an orthographic handwriting program (the Secret Code) on the ability of children with handwriting difficulties in Year One or Two at primary school, to write the letters of the alphabet.

The outcome will be assessed using the PRPP (Perceive, Recall, Plan Perform) Task Analysis Stage One and Stage two from the researcher (experienced occupational therapist) observing the child writing the alphabet and from handwritten work completed in class.[The child will be assessed weekly throughout the ten week intervention programme.]

To determine the impact of an orthographic handwriting program (the Secret Code) on the ability of children with handwriting difficulties in Year One or Two at primary school, to write a sentence.

The outcome will be assessed using the PRPP (Perceive, Recall, Plan Perform) Task Analysis Stage One and Stage two from the researcher (experienced occupational therapist) observing the child writing a sentence and from handwritten work completed in class.[The child will be assessed weekly throughout the ten week intervention programme.]

Secondary Outcome(s)

To measure ability to write letters or the alphabet and a sentence post intervention.

The outcome will be assessed using the PRPP (Perceive, Recall, Plan Perform) Task Analysis Stage One and Stage two from the researcher (experienced occupational therapist) observing the child writing the alphabet and from handwritten work completed in class.[Six samples of the child's writing from in class and from observation by the researcher (experienced occupational therapist) will be assessed over a three week period in Second Phase A (six weeks after the conclusion of Phase B - intervention phase).]

Secondary ID(s)

Nil known

Source(s) of Monetary Support

Kathryn Mathwin

Ethics review

Status: Approved
Approval date:
Contact:

The University of Sydney