What are fine motor
skills?
Fine motor skills help us
pick up, use and let go of objects such as a pen or cutlery, and they help us manipulate objects in our
hands.
Fine motor activities
include drawing, cutting, doing up buttons and shoe laces. After a
brain injury, a child may have difficulty using their muscles
(including those in their hands) because of changes to
the signals that come from the brain to the muscles.
How can fine motor skills
be affected following brain injury?
Either one or
both hands can be affected in a number of ways, including:
- muscles may be stiff and
difficult to move
- movement may be jerky or
clumsy and difficult to coordinate
- muscles may become
paralysed or difficult to move quickly when the brain 'tells them
to'
- planning and executing
movements may become difficult
A child's ability to
perform fine motor skills depends on a number of things, including
muscle strength and coordination. A brain injury may also
affect sensation which could then affect the ability to
perform fine motor activities. Children who have had a brain injury
can have long-term difficulties with fine motor skills.
What is the
treatment?
An occupational therapist
can assess children's fine motor skills and provide:
- exercises and specific
activities to help children re-learn how to hold and let go of
things, hold a pen, etc.
- casts, splints and
stretching exercises are helpful if muscles have shortened
- training to deal with
difficult tasks. For example, they can teach how to tie
shoelaces with one hand
- special equipment to help
with fine motor skills. For example, a weighted ruler or
spring-loaded scissors
Key points to
remember
- Fine motor skills are skills that are
used to help us manipulate and use objects with our
hands.
- Following a brain injury, a child's ability
to use their muscles may be affected due to altered brain
signals.
- An occupational therapist can assess fine
motor skills and provide recommendations for ways to improve or
manage the difficulty.
- Children who have had a brain injury can
have long-term difficulties with fine motor skills.
For more
information
Developed by The Royal Children's
Hospital Paediatric Rehabilitation Service based on information from the Brain
Injury Service at Westmead Children’s Hospital. We acknowledge the input of RCH
consumers and carers.
Reviewed September 2020.
Kids Health Info is supported by
The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation. To donate, visit www.rchfoundation.org.au.