Fine Motor Skills Parent Presentation presented by Liz Jardine and Janice White Ability Plus Occupational Therapy 11/233 Berrigan Drive Jandakot Ph 9417 8060 www.abilityplustherapy.com.au
What is Occupational Therapy? Occupational therapy is a profession concerned with promoting health and well being through occupation. The primary goal of occupational therapy is to enable people to meaningfully participate in the activities of everyday life. Occupational therapists achieve this by modifying environments, prescribing equipment, and teaching skills and techniques. WORLD FEDERATION OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS Definition 2004
How does OT relate to children? The occupation of childhood is to develop the skills necessary to become functional and independent adults. A child s job is to play and learn. Children continually develop and refine skills for play activities, school performance, and activities of daily living. It is critical to remember that all of these skills are developing simultaneously. Impairment in one area of skill is likely to delay development in other areas. The educational background of OT s includes anatomy, neurology, psychology and activity analysis.
Development of Motor Skills Children develop motor skills in a head to toe direction. Children achieve control of joints closest to the body first Control and stability of joints closest to the body is essential to allow controlled hand movements
Motor Skill Development cont... Initial movements are whole body movements. Later children learn to move different parts of the body separately. When first grasping objects children will use the whole hand. All fingers are doing the same thing at the same time. With practice children will develop ability to use the thumb separately and in opposition to the fingers Further development produces individual finger movements for more refined, precise grasping.
An Interesting fact about the hand: About a quarter of the motor cortex in the human brain (the part of the brain which controls all movement in the body) is devoted to the muscles of the hands. FB1
Bones of the hand Muscles of the hand FB1
Pre - writing essentials Stable Seated Posture Hand and Finger Strength In-hand manipulation Finger isolation Upper limb strength Crossing midline and hand dominance Pre-writing Patterns and shape awareness ALL of the above skills are essential to achieve success with handwriting
What does poor posture look like? Child places their head close to their work or has an unusual head position Slumping, shoulders at different height Child supports their head in their hands when writing or frequently changes their posture Child hooks feet around the chair or their arms around the back of the chair
Sitting Posture Incorrect posture will result in poor handwriting. Common problems include cramped writing, heavy pressure and slowness 90 90 90 rule Bottom back Chair in Feet flat
Handwriting Essential educational and life skill Pencil is the tool Allows students to express knowledge and thoughts Impacts on performance in all areas of curriculum Impacts on self esteem
Handwriting is a very complex task Understanding and planning each letter Motor planning to translate the thought (picture or letter) onto the page Execution of the planned motor sequence using muscle contraction, joint movements and finger isolation
Why does Pencil Grip Matter? Influences amount of finger movement available Determines amount of tension generated in the hand Fatigue of the hand Pain and Discomfort Speed and legibility of handwriting
The famous (or infamous!) Tripod Grip
Developmental Pencil Grips Supinate grasp Pronate grasp
Poor Habits with Pencil Grips
Grotto Grips
Demonstration vs Copying Demonstration is easier!! Multiple non verbal cues Breaks down the task
Pencil Pressure Too Much Pressure Will slow writing down Reduce the ability to use smooth and flowing movements when writing Increases Fatigue Can result in pain or cramping in the hands or fingers Too Little Pressure Poor control over pencil Difficulty with letter formations Faint handwriting which is difficult to read
Hand Dominance SHOULD NOT be forced Begins to emerge around age 4 Commonly not established until age 8 or 9 Body dominance may be mixed hand, leg, eye Cross dominance not a problem but reduces benefits of repetition Observe when dominance changes Observe spontaneous reflex actions
Left Handers Writing with left hand is a different movement Writes towards the body and pushes the pencil Often have unusual hand and wrist positions Experience more pain in wrist and hand Fatigue quicker
Important Factors for Left Handers Position of Paper Tilt paper so top right corner is tilted towards child Position of arm and wrist Hand below the writing line Wrist straight Pencil grip Grip pencil approx 2.5 cm from the tip
The Peggy Lego Pre-Writing Patterns Sideways, Sideways to the Magic Land Tall man, tall man, starts at the top, pulls down to the bottom and stops Starts with a click, Goes up and Around Up and Over, Down and Under Jack and Jill
Peggy Lego The Peggy Lego programme teaches seven pre-writing patterns. How we use 5 of the Peggy Lego patterns 1. Verbal cues relating to patterns 2. Gross Motor Activity teaches patterns 3. Tactile Activities reinforces patterns 4. Fine Motor Activity for coordination and strength 5. Writing Worksheets of taught patterns
Why we love Blackboards! They provide great sensory feedback No permanent result Wet, Dry, Try Use small pieces of chalk Automatic Tripod Grip Benefits of vertical plane
Pre-requisites for Scissor Skills 1. Balance 2. Shoulder Stability 3. Forearm control 4. Wrist Stability 5. Grasp 6. Finger Isolation 7. Release 8. Lead assist 2 hand use 9. Co-ordination of Arm, Hand and Eye Movements 10. Developmental Readiness
How to grade scissor skill tasks 1. Cutting objects such as straws or play doh 2. Snipping 3. Straight line cutting 4. Curved line cutting 5. Density of paper or card 6. Thickness of cutting line 7. Thumb position on top 8. Verbal prompts for cutting Open, push, squeeze
Children with additional needs 1. Fidgeting and restlessness 2. Focus and concentration 3. Vision and hearing 4. Negative behaviours 5. Self esteem
Questions? Thank you for attending our presentation today. Do you have any questions