MOTOR
Fine Motor and Self Help
Fine motor skills refer to the smaller, more refined motor movements that the body makes such as grasping. They are an essential component of every day tasks and activities of daily living. From completing self-care tasks such as tying shoes, buttoning, and appropriately holding/using utensils, to higher level academic skills including written communication or handwriting, decreased fine motor skills will impact a child’s ability to fully engage and participate in their daily routines.
Handwriting is a complex process that involves many skills (fine motor, motor planning, visual skills) coming together to produce one outcome. At Growing in Motion, our therapists will use a variety of therapeutic techniques focusing on improving not only fine motor abilities, but underlying skills that promote fine motor development including hand strength, visual perceptual skills, postural control, and ocular motor skills. We also use The Handwriting without Tears (HWOT) handwriting curriculum. HWOT is a wonderful way for children to learn how to write quicker and with greater accuracy. When children can better form their letters, they can better focus their attention on the content.
Gross Motor Skills
This refers to the general coordination a person has with the larger body movements they make. Some gross motor skills include running, jumping and balancing on one foot. Good coordination isn’t just for sports. Having control of our bodies is essential for standing in a line in a classroom, being able to pass out supplies, and navigating challenging environments. Gross motor skills also include bilateral integration or the ability to coordinate both sides of the body simultaneously in a smooth and fluid manner.
Motor Planning
1. Think of an idea
2. Plan the steps
3. Execute
4. Adapt
That’s the four step process that we call motor planning. First we think of what we want to do. Then we plan out the steps to do it. Now, execute! We then make an adaptive response according to what we wanted to do and what actually happened! When we complete new tasks, we are working on our motor planning skills. Think of when you first tried to learn a new dance routine, tried a new sport, or when you first learned to drive a car. Your motor planning skills were being challenged.
Many children are challenged with motor planning during everyday tasks like putting on a shirt or applying sunscreen. Brand new tasks may take longer to learn as well. A child may have skills in one area of motor planning such as “think of an idea” but may have difficulty in another area such as “plan the steps.” In this example, you may see a child who is frustrated by tasks and appears to choose a more difficult way of doing things.
Children with motor planning challenges may also have difficulty when engaging in play with peers. When a peer introduces a new play idea, it may be challenging to engage in play if they do not know how to motor plan through this idea. This can lead to difficulties with peer engagement and regulation around peer interactions.
Motor planning challenges can be observed in a variety of ways:
·Child has difficulty with coordinating movement to climb playground equipment, jump, skip, kick a ball, pump a swing, etc
Difficulty following multistep tasks, completing daily routines, getting ready for school
Challenges imitating gross motor movements, facial expressions, imitating use of an object, engaging in follow the leader style games
Not able to recognize what they just did, identify a problem, or identify when a plan is successful
Child always uses equipment in the same ways, engages in the same play schemes repeatedly, states they do not know what to do when initiating play
Challenges with problem solving to identify a problem, coming up with different solutions to a problem, or identifying that a new strategy did or didn’t work
Therapy can challenge and help to build up a child’s motor planning abilities!