Hand Grasp
Conditions
Keywords
Dynamometer, Hand writing skills, Hand grip strength
Brief summary
This study aims to address the effects of a Marble Play on the handgrip strength and handwriting skills of primary school children, providing empirical evidence for a cost-effective and culturally relevant therapeutic tool. This study will be a randomized controlled trial. A total of 46 children from Grades 1-3 will be recruited via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either an experimental group (n=23) or a control group (n=23).The experimental group will participate in one-on-one sessions of Marble Play game with .The control group will continue with their regular free play activities. The primary assessment tools will be the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH) to measure writing legibility and speed, and a hand-held dynamometer to measure hand grip strength.
Detailed description
In 2022, Audrey Saile and Mohd Hanafi Mohd Yasin hey conducted a study in Malaysia, to investigate the efficacy of fine motor training for improving handwriting legibility among students with special educational needs. Their study used a quasi-experimental pre-test/post test design but was limited by a very small, purposefully selected sample of only four students. Despite this limitation, the results indicated a positive outcome: the treatment group showed an average 15-point increase on a modified Handwriting Legibility Scale, improving their performance from very poor to moderate. The authors concluded that fine motor training is a valuable intervention for enhancing the handwriting skills of SEN students. Current literature reveals a significant gap in research examining marble play as a targeted fine motor intervention. While existing studies have explored the effectiveness of various manipulative activities such as clay modeling, bead threading, and drawing exercises for fine motor development, there is a notable absence of research that specifically isolates and examines the unique benefits of marble play. This represents a critical oversight, given the accessibility and affordability of marbles as intervention tool. The findings of this study will provide much-needed, evidence-based guidance for educators and therapists, particularly those working in resource-limited environments.
Interventions
OTHERMarble play game
Participants have to be sure to play in playground, as we will used natural ground floor. A small circle will be dig. A straight line will be marked 40 cm away from the edge of the circle. At the beginning of game, the researcher will place 10 target marbles in the circle. The participant will be given a marble.
OTHERFree Play
The control group (n=38) will continues regular playing activities except Marble play.
Sponsors
Riphah International University
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Years to 9 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Children enrolled in Grade 1-3 (typically aged 6-9 years) * Children with normal cognitive development, as assessed by school records or teacher reports * Students with average or below average handwriting fluency (based on teacher observation or pre-test). * Parental or guardian consent obtained for participation. * Regular school attendance and ability to participate in intervention sessions.
Exclusion criteria
* Children with significant visual or motor impairments that may affect fine motor coordination. * Participants with a known history of dust allergy or diagnosed allergic rhinitis triggered by dust exposure will be excluded. * Individuals with a current or recent (within the last 6 months) fracture of any upper, wrist, or hand) will be excluded. * Students with a history of behavioral issues that would prevent consistent participation in structured play.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Hand Grip Strength | Baseline and after 6 weeks | Hand grip strength will be measured by dynamometer |
| handwriting skills | Baseline and after 6 weeks | handwriting skills will be measured by ECTH. ECTH scoring refers to the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ECTH), a criterion-referenced assessment for grades 1-6, scored by occupational therapists and educators to evaluate manuscript/cursive writing speed and legibility (letter/word formation, size, spacing, alignment) through specific tasks like copying, dictation, and sentence composition, yielding scores for each task and overall legibility percentages, with established cutoffs (e.g., Total Letter \<90%, Total Word \<85%) indicating dysfunction. |
Countries
Pakistan
Contacts
Primary ContactImran Amjad, Phd
Outcome results
None listed