![]() If a child has significant problems with alphabet sequencing, then it should be noted and taken into account when forming a comprehensive picture of handwriting skill and other aspects of literacy. Most children are able to independently produce at least some letters of the alphabet, even if some are missing or in an incorrect order, so that a standard score can be obtained. This would change the task completely and it would not be appropriate to use this data to obtain a standard score. On no account should a printed alphabet be supplied from which they can copy. If the child you are testing says that they do not know their alphabet, or if you know that they struggle with this, then they should be encouraged to “just try your best, write down what you can”. What should I do if the child does not know the alphabet? If the child seems particularly distracted by this interruption, record this on the record form and take it into consideration when interpreting the overall scores. This should be sufficient to encourage the child back on task. If the tester does notice hesitation after the time mark is called, it is permissible to say “and carry on writing” just after the call. However, occasionally a child’s writing is noticeably interrupted by this request. What should I do if the child stops writing when I call ‘time mark’?įor most children, calling of the time mark does not unduly interrupt the flow of writing. poor attention, the physical environment). If you do observe a child whose delay in responding seems excessive or of particular significance, make a note of this and try to work out the reasons once the formal assessment is complete (e.g. Particular care should be taken with the free writing task where some ‘thinking’ time is given before the command to start occurs. To minimise the chance of there being a delay between the start command and the children beginning to write, try to ensure that all children are attending to the task and are absolutely ready to begin before you say “start”. The discrepancy rarely amounts to more than a couple of seconds, which is acceptable. When working with a group of children, however, there will always be slight variations from child to child. Usually, the instruction to start and the child’s pen marking the paper will be almost simultaneous. What do I do if there is a pause between the verbal command ‘start’ and when the child starts writing? The test was standardised using the order specified in the manual, it is best to follow this sequence unless there is a very good reason to deviate from it. If you are assessing a child for whom muscle weakness is an issue, you may wish to take two sessions to compute the tasks.Ĭan I change the order of tasks in the DASH? However, it is useful to include this task as it is designed as a basic measure of the speed at which the child can perform hand movements similar to those required for handwriting.Ĭan I take more than one session to complete the DASH? As it has no language component, the score on this task does not contribute to the overall estimate of speed of handwriting. There is one task which is optional, the Graphic Speed task. The profile obtained across these scores will also provide useful information. You will obtain the most accurate and reliable measure from the Total Standard Score, which is computed from the sum of the two copying tasks, Copy Best and Copy Fast, and the Alphabet Writing and Free Writing tasks. The DASH includes a range of tasks in order to assess handwriting speed accurately. Handwriting speed may vary across different writing tasks. ![]() As with any test, the DASH should be presented in a positive way in order to get the best out of the children.ĭo I need to administer all five tasks in the DASH? However, some children are reluctant writers and may need a little extra encouragement. You could mention that the first four tasks are very short and that the last one is a little longer.Īll they need to do is listen carefully and do their best. ![]() It is helpful to explain to participants that there are just five exercises, that there are no right or wrong answers, and that they will probably find most of the tasks quite easy or straightforward. In the latter case, you might say that handwriting is an important skill and that the staff want to see how everyone is doing. In the former situation, you might say that you want to assess how the child is getting on so that you can decide how best to support them. For example, you would introduce the DASH quite differently to an individual child who is aware that he/she struggles with writing, as compared to a whole class of children who have just joined the school. This depends on the purpose of the assessment and the pupil(s) being tested.
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