Emerging Motor Skills - Week 7

Fine motor skills: role in motor development in general

Integral to sports, games, exercise and fitness

Fine motor skills: role in other areas of human development

Integral to academics, social development, and music and creativity

Fine motor skills: what influences them?

Passive technological activities vs active movement experiences; culture; environmental influences

Manipulation: definition

The use of the hands (reaching and grasping)

Reaching: when does it develop as a voluntary movement?

Infancy

Grasping: what does it change about an object?

The size or shape of the object

Grasping: small objects

Grasped by 1 finger and 1 thumb

Grasping: medium objects

Grasped by 3 fingers and 1 thumb

Grasping: large objects

Grasped by 4 fingers and 1 thumb

Grasping: larger objects

Grasped by two hands

Grasping: when do infants differentiate object size and shape?

As early as 4 months

Grasping: how do infants respond to different objects?

Employ various grip configurations

Grasping: related topics

Anticipation and object control; exploratory procedures and haptic perception

Fine motor milestones: birth to 3 months

Clutch objects in palm

Fine motor milestones: 4 to 9 months (control)

Visual control improves; more hand movements

Fine motor milestones: 4 to 9 months (actions)

Poke, scratch, rub, wave and bang objects; move objects from hand to hand

Fine motor milestones: 9 to 10 months

Ability to sit makes two-handed manipulation easier

Fine motor milestones: 12 months

Role-differentiated bimanual manipulation (e.g. removing or inserting objects using two hands)

Handwriting and drawing: definition

Complicated fine motor skills involving manual formation of numbers, letters, and various characters or designs

Handwriting and drawing: what do they involve?

Intellectual thought process; visual and perceptual processing; movement control

Handwriting and drawing: three implement grasps

Supinate grasp, pronate grasp and dynamic tripod

Writing and drawing: main developmental steps

Simple scribbles → shapes → letters

Letter writing: age 4

Can write letters, but not organised purposefully

Letter writing: ages 5-6

Can write own name, but in large, irregularly shaped uppercase letters

Letter writing: age 7

Can master upper- and lower-case letters

Letter writing: which letters are easier to form?

Single-stroke letters

Letter writing: age 9

Can space letters correctly

Overarm throwing: three phases

Preparatory phase, execution phase and follow through

Overarm throwing: preparatory phase

Movement of the arm away from the intended target

Overarm throwing: execution phase

Movement of the arm towards the intended target

Overarm throwing: follow through

Any movement after release of the object

Overarm throwing Stage 1 (1.5-2.5 yrs): preparation

Lack of preparation phase

Overarm throwing Stage 1 (1.5-2.5 yrs): feet and arm

Little to no foot movement; action driven entirely by the arm

Overarm throwing Stage 2 (~3 yrs): rotation

Rotation of head, shoulder and hips

Overarm throwing Stage 2 (~3 yrs): arm and leg

Rounded sling arm action; start to bring back leg through

Overarm throwing Stage 5 (5-8 yrs): preparatory phase

Contralateral movement

Overarm throwing Stage 5 (5-8 yrs): execution phase

Sequential rotation

Overarm throwing Stage 5 (5-8 yrs): leg and arm

Front leg knee extends; opposite arm moves back

Throwing constraint: body scaling

The size of the object impacts the throwing pattern

Throwing constraint: instruction

Provision of cues and guided practice improves throwing

Catching Stage 1 (~2 yrs): arms

Arms held out; flex only after ball contact

Catching Stage 1 (~2 yrs): eyes

Eyes watch the thrower

Catching Stage 2 (~3 yrs)

Slight flex in arms; arms flex prior to contact

Catching Stage 5 (6-7 yrs): arms

Elbows flex with palms up

Catching Stage 5 (6-7 yrs): body

Child can adjust their body for the flight of the ball

Catching constraint: ball

Size; colour of ball and background

Catching constraint: vision and viewing time

Faster ball → worse catching performance

Ball speed: effect on catching performance

Faster balls result in worse catching performance

Catching constraint: instruction

Provide external cues

Catching constraint: knowledge and experience

Development of procedural memory