Kinematic analysis of handwriting is a promising new frontier towards the characterization of han... more Kinematic analysis of handwriting is a promising new frontier towards the characterization of handwriting movements, both in children and adults, with and without difficulties or pathologies that disrupt normal handwriting processes. The challenge, however, is to define and measure parameters that tap and highlight underlying mechanisms and strategies in order to comprehend such disorders, promote prevention programs and provide treatment or remedy, whenever possible. This work represents a practical application, binding neuropsychologic theory and engineering technology in the development of a device that enables on-line process analysis of handwriting, offering ample possibilities of research, both in medical and educational fields. Although employing complex mathematical procedures, the device is user friendly in its interface design and allows the rapid analysis of the parameters reported in literature, as well as some new and interesting variables that may contribute to the understanding of handwriting difficulties. The device has been successfully tested and used in a major Italian institute for childcare and research to evaluate handwriting proficiency in children. Preliminary results indicate that kinematic analysis of handwriting thus performed provides important information for the diagnosis and treatment of dysgraphia.
There is evidence supporting a correlation between motor, attention and working memory in childre... more There is evidence supporting a correlation between motor, attention and working memory in children. This present study focuses on children aged between 7 and 10 years, who have been playing basketball in the last two years. The aim of this study is to verify the correlation between cognitive and motor abilities and to understand the importance of this correlation in basketball practice. A total of 75 children who were 7.2–10.99 years old were assessed in terms of their attention, motor manual sequences and visuo-spatial working memory. A regression analysis was provided. In this sample, the motor abilities of children were found to be correlated with attention (denomination task, R2 = 0.07), visuo-spatial working memory (R2 = 0.06) and motor manual sequencing (aiming and catching task, R2 = 0.05; and manual dexterity task, R2 = 0.10). These correlations justify the suggestion to introduce deeper cognitive involvement during basketball training. The development of executive functions...
The vast majority of humans are right-handed, but how and when this bias emerges during human ont... more The vast majority of humans are right-handed, but how and when this bias emerges during human ontogenesis is still unclear. We propose an approach that explains postnatal handedness starting from 18 gestational weeks using a kinematic analysis of different fetal arm movements recorded during ultrasonography. Based on the hand dominance reported postnatally at age 9, the fetuses were classified as right-handed (86%) or left-handed, in line with population data. We revealed that both right-handed and left-handed fetuses were faster to reach to targets requiring greater precision (i.e., eye and mouth), with their dominant (vs. non-dominant) hand. By using either movement times or deceleration estimates, handedness can be inferred with a classification accuracy ranging from 89 to 100% from gestational week 18. The reliability of this inference hints to the yet unexplored potential of standard ultrasonography to advance our understanding of prenatal life.
Kinematic analysis of handwriting is a promising new frontier towards the characterization of han... more Kinematic analysis of handwriting is a promising new frontier towards the characterization of handwriting movements, both in children and adults, with and without difficulties or pathologies that disrupt normal handwriting processes. The challenge, however, is to define and measure parameters that tap and highlight underlying mechanisms and strategies in order to comprehend such disorders, promote prevention programs and provide treatment or remedy, whenever possible. This work represents a practical application, binding neuropsychologic theory and engineering technology in the development of a device that enables on-line process analysis of handwriting, offering ample possibilities of research, both in medical and educational fields. Although employing complex mathematical procedures, the device is user friendly in its interface design and allows the rapid analysis of the parameters reported in literature, as well as some new and interesting variables that may contribute to the understanding of handwriting difficulties. The device has been successfully tested and used in a major Italian institute for childcare and research to evaluate handwriting proficiency in children. Preliminary results indicate that kinematic analysis of handwriting thus performed provides important information for the diagnosis and treatment of dysgraphia.
There is evidence supporting a correlation between motor, attention and working memory in childre... more There is evidence supporting a correlation between motor, attention and working memory in children. This present study focuses on children aged between 7 and 10 years, who have been playing basketball in the last two years. The aim of this study is to verify the correlation between cognitive and motor abilities and to understand the importance of this correlation in basketball practice. A total of 75 children who were 7.2–10.99 years old were assessed in terms of their attention, motor manual sequences and visuo-spatial working memory. A regression analysis was provided. In this sample, the motor abilities of children were found to be correlated with attention (denomination task, R2 = 0.07), visuo-spatial working memory (R2 = 0.06) and motor manual sequencing (aiming and catching task, R2 = 0.05; and manual dexterity task, R2 = 0.10). These correlations justify the suggestion to introduce deeper cognitive involvement during basketball training. The development of executive functions...
The vast majority of humans are right-handed, but how and when this bias emerges during human ont... more The vast majority of humans are right-handed, but how and when this bias emerges during human ontogenesis is still unclear. We propose an approach that explains postnatal handedness starting from 18 gestational weeks using a kinematic analysis of different fetal arm movements recorded during ultrasonography. Based on the hand dominance reported postnatally at age 9, the fetuses were classified as right-handed (86%) or left-handed, in line with population data. We revealed that both right-handed and left-handed fetuses were faster to reach to targets requiring greater precision (i.e., eye and mouth), with their dominant (vs. non-dominant) hand. By using either movement times or deceleration estimates, handedness can be inferred with a classification accuracy ranging from 89 to 100% from gestational week 18. The reliability of this inference hints to the yet unexplored potential of standard ultrasonography to advance our understanding of prenatal life.
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Papers by Stefania Zoia