Integration of Speed and Quality in Measuring Graphomotor Skills: The Zurich Graphomotor Test

Abstract

Importance: In educational settings, children are under pressure to finish their work successfully within required time frames. Existing tools for assessing graphomotor skills measure either quality or speed of performance, and the speed–accuracy trade-off (SAT) in such tools has never been investigated. Objective: We aimed to evaluate a newly developed tool for measuring graphomotor skills, the Zurich Graphomotor Test (ZGT), that assesses both speed and quality of performance. We also explored whether graphomotor tests are affected by the SAT and, if so, the effects it has on graphomotor test results. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Educational institutions in Switzerland. Participants: Children, adolescents, and young adults (N 5 547) ages 4–22 yr (50.3% female). Outcomes and Measures: Graphomotor performance was measured with the ZGT and the Developmental Test of Visual Perception, Second Edition (DVTP–2). Standard deviation scores were used to quantify performance. We combined ZGT speed and quality measurements into a performance score adjusted for age and sex. Results: ZGT results indicated a marked developmental trend in graphomotor performance; older children were faster than younger children. Girls showed higher overall performance than boys. The pattern of making more mistakes when being faster and making fewer mistakes when being slower was observed for both graphomotor tests, regardless of time pressure, indicating that the SAT affected the children’s scores on both tests. Conclusions and Relevance: SAT is influential in graphomotor assessment. The ZGT captures this trade-off by combining accuracy and speed measurements into one score that provides a realistic assessment of graphomotor skills. What This Article Adds: The newly developed ZGT provides occupational therapy practitioners with more precise information on graphomotor skills in children, adolescents, and young adults than currently available tools.