What are fine motor skills?
The term ‘fine motor’ means ‘small muscles’.
Fine motor skills involve the movement of the small muscles in the fingers, hand and arm to control and use tools and equipment.
Hand-eye Coordination is where a person uses their vision to control the movements and actions of their small muscles, is also an important component of fine motor skill development.
Developing these muscles is important as underdevelopment can cause weakness and incoordination.
How do I know if my child has problems with fine motor skills?
Fine motor skills challenges can make writing, drawing and getting dressed very difficult. Motor control in small muscles in the hands is necessary for many life skills.
A child then may have difficulties in activities such as
- Picking up small items
- Holding a pencil, crayons and markers with a 3 or 4 fingertip pinch
- Holding and using feeding utensils effectively
- Fastening closures (zippers, snaps, buttons) on garments easily
- Using scissors
- Imitating various finger positions during finger play (e.g., touching each finger to the thumb-opposition, making the “A-ok” sign).
- Manipulating small items within the hand (e.g., transferring coins within the palm out to the fingertips).
Speech and language problems are also effected by poor fine motor skills. Articulation requires precise fine motor skills that involve control over muscles as well as the ability to process language.
So what activities can I do at home to help my child with Autism build fine motor skills?
Playing with a child is among the most helpful activities because it is a natural way for kids to learn new skills.
Activities to help with these skills include:
- Play Doh
- Finger play songs and rhymes
- Finger paint
- Digging in sand
- Chalk drawings on concrete
- Pegboards and felt boards
- Lacing
- Beading string
- Picking up items with tongs
- Puzzles
- Coloring, drawing and writing
- Cutting paper
- Twisting lids off and on
- Writing or coloring on an easel
- Buttons, zippers and buckles (begin with Velcro)
- Playing musical instruments
- Drinking through a straw
- Blowing bubbles
If you have a child with Autism that requires an individual assessment or treatment plan contact our office direct.
At Jigsaw Autism Services our core business is Autism Spectrum Disorders – that is our speciality.
By contacting Jigsaw you get a quality evidence based best practice assessments and early intervention services. These are provided by a qualified Autism Teacher/Practitioner, Occupational Therapist and Psychologist; highly skilled in their discipline. Jigsaw is an approved NDIS provider, HCWA and Betterstart.