Article

PURPOSE: To investigate whether the provision of force feedback as guidance in a
computer-assisted training environment was feasible for improving handwriting
ability of children with cerebral palsy. METHOD: Two children at the age of 7,
diagnosed with dystonia and dyskinesia, respectively, took part in a 2-week
pre-post test study. A desktop computer system equipped with a haptic device was
developed to provide visual and haptic cues for practising Chinese handwriting.
The system was used by the subjects two times a week. Average writing time and
path length of 10 test characters and the trajectory of the pen tip were used to
evaluate their performance. Paper-based test on handwriting legibility before and
after the intervention were also conducted and video taped for subjective
comparison. RESULTS: The subjects were able to reduce the writing time through
repeated practice. Path length also appeared to decrease, suggesting improvement
in fine motor control ability and handwriting accuracy. One subject showed slight
progress in legibility, while both of them developed a better sense of the proper
ways of handwriting. CONCLUSION: Provision of haptic feedback in a virtual
environment appears to be a feasible approach to improve cerebral palsy
children's handwriting skills.

Langue : ANGLAIS