Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting (DASH 17+)

Anna Barnett, Sheila E Henderson, Beverly Scheib, Joerg Schulz

The DASH 17+ provides a reliable, age-appropriate measure of handwriting speed for students aged 17-25 years in further and higher education. This upwards extension of the DASH can identify students with slow handwriting and may assist in providing evidence for extra support, such as Access Arrangements in examinations or the Disabled Students’ Allowance. Information from the DASH 17+ also provides relevant information for planning intervention.

The assessment includes five subtests, each testing a different aspect of handwriting speed. The subtests examine fine motor and precision skills, the speed of producing well known symbolic material, the ability to alter speed of performance on two tasks with identical content and free writing competency.

Standardised subtest and composite scores are provided, based on data collected from a sample of 400 students in further and higher education across the UK in 2009.