Detailed Assessment of Speed of Handwriting, Second Edition (DASH-2) Kit

The DASH-2 is a standardized tool designed to assess handwriting speed difficulties in children and young adults, aged 8 to 25 years. It helps identify individuals who may benefit from special accommodations in educational settings due to challenges in handwriting performance.

The DASH-2 provides educators and clinicians with a reliable framework for evaluating handwriting speed, offering objective evidence to support applications for special accommodations. It is suitable for both individual and group administration, making it versatile for use in various educational and clinical contexts.

The accompanying manual, DASH-2 Manual, includes comprehensive guidelines for administration, scoring, and interpretation.

Benefits:

• Standardized Scoring: Provides Subtest Scaled Scores and a Total Score Percentile Rank, offering a detailed analysis of handwriting performance.
• Objective Evidence: Offers data to support requests for special accommodations in educational environments, based on reliable and valid assessment results.
• Flexible Administration: Suitable for both individual and group settings, using a simple paper-and-pencil format with a completion time of 20 to 30 minutes.
• Reliable and Representative Results: Based on nationally stratified normative samples of over 1,000 children and young adults from the UK and Australia, collected between 2021 and 2023.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Subtests: Includes five distinct subtests that assess various aspects of handwriting speed and performance:
  • Copy Best: Evaluates handwriting under ideal conditions for legibility and fluency.
  • Alphabet Writing: Measures speed and accuracy of writing the alphabet.
  • Copy Fast: Assesses handwriting speed when copying at a faster pace.
  • Free Writing: Examines spontaneous writing speed and content generation.
  • Graphic Speed: Tests the speed of drawing simple graphic shapes.
• Age Range: Suitable for individuals aged 8 to 25 years, covering a wide developmental span from late childhood through young adulthood.
• Scoring and Interpretation: Provides Subtest Scaled Scores and Total Score Percentile Rank for a clear and comprehensive evaluation.
• Efficient Administration: Can be completed in 20 to 30 minutes, using a paper-and-pencil format, making it time-effective for busy educational and clinical settings.
• Endorsed by SASC: Approved by the SASC Test Evaluation Committee (STEC) for use in pre-16 and post-16 educational assessments.

The DASH-2 provides a structured, evidence-based approach to identifying handwriting difficulties, supporting tailored interventions and accommodations to help students succeed in their educational settings.