The main topic of my diploma thesis is the diagnosis and the therapy of handwriting training of hand grasp in preschool children. This diploma thesis describes and evaluates possibilities of using a handwriting tool, which was developed in cooperation with Centre for Biomedical Engineering and 1. Faculty of Medicine, for hand grasp testing. A handwriting tool measures fingers grip pinch while the fingers are used in hand grasp. The theoretic part comprehend useful findings about handwriting, its development. In detail it is focused on diagnosis and therapy of hand grasp, which is an important aspect in handwriting development. This theoretic part also includes description of handwriting disabilites in preschool children and description handwriting tools, which are used for correct hand grasp training. The conclusion of the theoretic part is focused on therapy of hand grasp and handwriting training from the ergotherapist point of view. The goal of the practical part is to find out fingers pinch in hand grasp in normal healthy preschool children using a specialy developed handwriting tool and to recommend another possibilites of using this new tool in handwriting training.

This diploma thesis is focused on children with grafomotorics problems at preschool age, especially on inappropriate grip of handwriting tools. The target was to put together and implement in practice the intervention programme focused on fine motor skills development. Based on the results of testing tasks evaluating the degree of children grafomotorics skills the three significant groups were made. The first group (control group) was comprised of children without noticeable grafomotorics skills problems. The other two groups were comprised of children with grafomotorics skills problems (experimental groups). One of the experimental group was target of mentioned tranining programme for fine motor skills development. At the programme end all three significant groups were again examined by criterion-referenced test. The impact of intervention programme and its implementation in practice under everyday conditions of nursery school was discussed.

L'objectif général de cette thèse est de préciser le niveau de traitement auquel la syllabe intervient au cours de la production écrite de mots, le rôle qu'elle joue, ainsi que la dynamique de mobilisation de cette unité. Dans le premier chapitre expérimental nous explorons les relations entre l'activation des syllabes et les traitements graphomoteurs. L'activation syllabique apparaît dissociée des traitements graphomoteurs (Expériences 1a et 1b), et la dynamique d'activation des syllabes est sous l'influence des contraintes qui pèsent sur ces traitements graphomoteurs uniquement quand les contraintes sont très fortes (Expériences 2a, 2b, 2c). Les relations entre l'activation des syllabes et le traitement orthographique font l'objet du deuxième chapitre expérimental. Nos résultats montrent que les deux processus semblent dissociés (Expérience 3a et contrôle), et que la dynamique d'activation des syllabes apparaît modifiée en fonction des contraintes orthographiques, étudiée ici à travers la fréquence lexicale (Expérience 3b). L'ensemble de nos données tend à confirmer l'idée selon laquelle les syllabes sont des unités mobilisées à l'interface des traitements orthographiques et graphomoteurs, i.e., dans le buffer graphémique. Ces résultats sont discutés dans le cadre d'un modèle en cascade de la production écrite, auquel il semble que nous ajoutons un niveau de traitement spécifique à la syllabe. / This research aims at specifying the processing level at which the syllable is involved during handwriting, the role that it plays, as well as the dynamics of its activation. In the first experimental chapter, we explore about relations between syllable activation and graphomotor processing. Our results show that syllable activation and graphomotor processing appear to be distinct (Experiments 1a and 1b), and that the dynamics of syllable activation vary as function of graphomotor constraints when these constraints are very strong. The relations between syllable activation and spelling are addressed is the second experimental chapter. The results show that both processes are distinct (Experiment 3a and control), and that the dynamics of syllable activation change according to spelling constraints, studied here via lexical frequency (Experiment 3b). Taken together, all these data support the assumption that syllables are activated between spelling and graphomotor processing, i.e., in the graphemic buffer. These results are discussed in a cascade model of handwriting, in which might be integrated a specific level of processing devoted to the syllable.

The diploma work is engaged in specific problems of laterality at the age of younger pupilage children. It´s divided into to three parts - theoretical, practical and appendixes. Theoretical part deals with the laterality in relation to matureness of personality, historical context in society, diagnostic of laterality and its types. This work also inquires into influence of laterality on school successfulness. The diploma work contains the suggestion of possibility pupils work with several types of laterality in school use. The object of research in practical part of this work was to find out number of dexterous children and left-handed children and ambidexters in population of infant at school on the subject of laterality and its definition. The method of laterality test and observation were used to results processing. It was supplemented with questionnaire which was aimed to anamnesis data. The results of laterality tests are presented in the graphs. The conclusions of each part of research was analyzed from questionnaire results and also from results of laterality tests. Last part of diploma work, appendicces, contains working materials connected with laterality determination and proposals of grapho-motorical lists for dexterous and left-handed pupils with possibility of grapho-motorical difficulties.

Grafomotorick© obt­e (GD) vraznÄ ovlivuj­ kvalitu ivota koln­m vÄkem poÄ­naj­c, kde se vyv­jej­ grafomotorick© schopnosti, a do dchodov©ho vÄku. VÄasn diagnza tÄchto obt­­ a terapeutick zsah maj­ velk vznam k jejich zlepen­. Vzhledem k tomu, e GD souvis­ z v­cermi symptomy v oblasti kinematiky, zkladn­ kinematick© parametry jako rychlost, zrychlen­ a vih prokzaly efektivn­ kvantizaci tÄchto symptom. Objektivn­ vpoÄetn­ syst©m podpory rozhodovn­ pro identifikaci a vyeten­ GD vak nen­ dostupn. A proto je hlavn­m c­lem m© disertaÄn­ prce vzkum pokroÄil© metody parametrizace online p­sma pro analzu GD se speciln­m zamÄen­m na vyuit­ metod zlomkov©ho kalkulu. Tato prce je prvn­, kter experimentuje s vyuit­m derivac­ neceloÄ­seln©ho du (FD) pro analzu GD pomoc­ online p­sma z­skan©ho od pacient s Parkinsonovou nemoc­ a u dÄt­ koln­ho vÄku. Byla navrena a evaluovna nov metoda parametrizace online p­sma zaloena na FD vyuit­m Grnwald-Letnikova p­stupu. Bylo dokzno, e navren metoda vznamnÄ zlepuje diskriminaÄn­ s­lu a deskriptivn­ schopnosti v oblasti Parkinsonick© dysgrafie. StejnÄ tak metoda pozitivnÄ ovlivnila i nejmodernÄj­ techniky v oblasti analzy GD u dÄt­ koln­ho vÄku. Vyvinut parametrizace byla optimalizovna s ohledem na vpoÄetn­ nroÄnost (a o 80 %) a tak© na vyladÄn­ du FD. Ke konci prce byly porovnny v­cer© p­stupy vpoÄtu FD, jmenovitÄ Riemann-Liouvillv, Caputv spoleÄnÄ z Grnwald-Letnikovm p­stupem za Äelem identifikace tÄch nejvhodnÄj­ch pro jednotliv© oblasti analzy GD.

In the Czech Republic, there is currently no objective method to diagnose graphomotor difficulties in children. Ongoing research uses modern digitizers to capture the hand-writing process and quantify its parameters. The first goal of this thesis is to develop software tools to faciliate work with the collected data, such as database validation and writing exercise rating, done by specialists. Another goal of this thesis is to design new on-line handwriting parameters which are then to be analysed on a cohort of school children from 2nd to 4th class of primary school (n=239). The implementation of two desktop programs on the .NET platform is described, among three new quantifying parameters based on the principles of isochrony, two-dimensional cross-correlation, and geometrical centroid. All three parameters show significant correlation (r = [0,2; 0,3])with the HPSQ-C rating in 2nd- and 4th-graders and correlation (𝜌= [0,2; 0,5]) with specialist’s subjective scores in all children from the cohort. The analysis suggests children with graphomotor difficulties struggle with regulating handwriting speed and working memory.

There are currently increasingly debated issues of entering the schooling, especially in the terms of levels of preparedness to enter the first grade and the school's requirements on the first- graders. This is due to a large number of often complex changes which the entrance into the first grade means for the children and their families. It is the best for the first-graders do all these changes without undue frustration, it is necessary that their physical, mental and neural development and readiness were on sufficient level. Because of extensiveness of this topic, only the part of it was selected for this thesis, as its name says: The level of graphomotor skills of preschool children before entering elementary school. The area of graphomotor skills is presented in the context of writing skills throughout this thesis. The legislative definition of compulsory school attendance and the issue of writing as an essential part of literacy is covered within the theoretical part. The topic of entry into the first grade and the school preparedness of children are explained. The area of graphomotor skills in the terms of the development, in the terms of relation to the coarse and fine motor skills, laterality and external conditions which affect graphomotor skills is covered in detail. The significance...

Grafomotorické dovednosti (GA) představují skupinu psychomotorických procesů, které se zapojují během kreslení a psaní. GA jsou nutnou prerekvizitou pro zvládání základních školních schopností, konkrétně psaní. Děti v první a druhé třídě mohou mít potíže s prováděním jednoduchých grafomotorických úkolů (GD) a později ve třetí a čtvrté třídě také se samotným psaním (HD). Narušení procesů spojených se psaním je obecně nazýváno jako vývojová dysgrafie (DD). Prevalence DD v České republice se pohybuje kolem 3–5 %. V současné době je DD hodnocena subjektivně týmem psychologů a speciálních pedagogů. V praxi stále chybí objektivní měřicí nástroj, který by umožňoval hodnocení GD a HD. Z tohoto důvodu se tato disertační práce zabývá identifikováním symptomů spojených s grafomotorickou neobratností u dětí školního věku a vývojem nových parametrů, které je budou kvantifikovat. Byl vytvořen komplexní GA protokol (36 úloh), který představuje prostředí, ve kterém se mohou projevit různé symptomy spojené s GD a HD. K těmto symptomům bylo přiřazeno 76 kvantifikujících parametrů. Dále byla navrhnuta nová škála grafomotorických obtíží (GDRS) založena na automatizovaném zpracování online píma. Nakonec byla prezentována a otestována nová sada parametrizačních technik založených na Tunable Q Factor Wavelet Transform (TQWT). Parametry TQWT dokážou kvantifikovat grafomotorickou obratnost nebo nedostatečný projev v jemné motorice. GDRS přestavuje nový, moderní a objektivní měřící nástroj, který doposud chyběl jak v České republice, tak v zahraničí. Použití škály by pomohlo modernizovat jak diagnostiku DD, tak reedukační/remediační proces. Další výzkum by tento nástroj mohl adaptovat i do jiných jazyků. Navíc, tato metodologie může být použita a optimalizována pro diagnostiku dalších nemocí a poruch, které ovlivňují grafomotorické dovednosti, například pro autismus, poruchu pozornosti s hyperaktivitou (ADHD) nebo dyspraxii (DCD).

Au regard des difficultés d'écriture présentes dans le trouble du spectre de l'autisme (TSA), notre premier objectif est d’étudier les caractéristiques de l’écriture chez des enfants et adultes avec TSA par rapport à des enfants et adultes typiques en considérant son évolution avec l’âge. La qualité et la vitesse de production ont été évalué à partir d’une tâche de copie de texte. Une moins bonne qualité ainsi qu’une lenteur d’exécution sont observées chez les enfants avec TSA par rapport aux enfants typiques. Chez les adultes avec TSA, une qualité des tracés inférieure à celle des sujets de même âge réel (AR) et de même âge de développement (AD) est relevée tandis que leur vitesse de production est inférieure à celle des sujets de même AR mais comparable à ceux de même AD.Une évolution similaire de l’écriture est observée entre les personnes typiques et avec TSA. Notre second objectif est de tester l’effet d’une présentation ralentie de lettres, pseudo-lettres et mots sur le traitement de l’information visuelle et la dynamique des tracés des enfants et adultes avec TSA. L’utilisation de l'oculométrie, la tablette graphique et le logiciel de ralentissement Logiral™ ont été couplées. Avec le ralenti, on observe chez les enfants une diminution de l'exploration visuelle et une écriture moins fluide et plus lente, et chez les adultes, une augmentation de l’exploration visuelle associée à une diminution de la taille de l’écriture pourtant moins fluide et plus lente. Cette recherche contribue à une meilleure compréhension des particularités de l’écriture dans le TSA et de l’impact du ralenti de lettres et mots sur l’exploration visuelle et la production des tracés. / Handwriting leads to numerous difficulties amongst individuals suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Our first objective was thus to study the characteristics of handwriting in both children and adults with ASD in comparison with chronological (CA) and developmental (DA) aged-matched controls, in order to understand its development with age. A first study conducted aimed at evaluate the handwriting quality and speed during a copy task of text. Our results showed that children with ASD have slower and poorer handwriting skills compared to controls. For ASD adult participants we observed a poorer handwriting quality than both CA and DA controls and a slower handwriting than CA controls only, meaning that it was comparable to DA controls. Moreover,a similar evolution between control and ASD participants. Our second objective was to test the effect of a slowed-down dynamic visual presentation of letters, pseudo-letters and words on the visual information processing and the handwriting dynamics in children and adults with ASD. For this, we coupled different techniques: an eye-tracking device, a graphic tablet, and Logiral™ (i.e a software for slowing down videos). During the slowed-down presentation, children showed a decrease of visual exploration associated with a slower and uneven handwriting, adults showed an increase in visual exploration associated with smaller handwriting size, although it was slower and uneven. This research contributed to a better understanding of handwriting particularities in ASD population, as well as the impact of slowing down stimuli on visual exploration and handwriting production.

This Masters thesis focuses on issues of Specific Language Impairment - SLI of children of pre-school age. It monitors and evaluates development of their communication and motor skills during their time in kindergarten. The theoretical part focuses on defining basic terms which relate to communication and communication disorder with the emphasis on SLI. The psychomotor and communicational development of child from birth to entering school is described too. Also how this all affected creating the Framework Educational Programme for preschool education. The aim of the empirical part was to observe four children with SLI during their attendance at a pre-school for children with specific needs. Speech and psychomotor development of these children and its changes in connection to their teachers' intervention was observed. Part of the research included interviews with children's parents and those are also evaluated. The survey was done by the qualitative method. We get four case histories. At the end was evaluated the aims of the survey and answered questions asked and summarized the results of my investigation.