Our guest blogger today is Meg Isagholi. She is a pediatric occupational therapist and graduated with a MSOT degree in 2013. She has extensive experience working to typical and non-typical children to help remediate skills related to gross motor skills, fine motor skills, sensory processing deficits, social emotional, and adaptive skills.
She also has experience working in the school district where she has integrated Learning Without Tears handwriting program to teach her students proper grasping and handwriting skills. For more activities and ideas for fine motor development or inquiries about private handwriting sessions follow her on Instagram page: @HandwritingwithMeg.
0-2 months
Visual motor:
- Lying on back, child can track a rattle midline (nose) to one side and back to midline (nose).
- Looks at hands for 3 seconds
- Places an open hand on table
Grasping:
- Loses finger in a tight grasp
- Holds a rattle for 3 seconds and then drops it
3-5 months
Visual Motor:
- Lying on back, reaches for up with his hands toward a rattle that is placed over head
- Lying on back, moves hand within 4 inches from midline (nose) to reach from toy
- Grasps a rattle
- Holds rattle for 30 seconds
Grasping:
- Picks up rattle from the floor
- Grasps string, pulls it to obtain a toy
- Can secure a paper
- Grasps and holds cubes
6-8 months
Visual Motor:
- In sitting: brings hands together to secure a block or small ball.
- Lying on back, reaches with one straight arm while the other arm remains stationary
- Picks up 2 cubes and retains both
- Can transfer objects from one hand to the other.
- Touches small objects with finger, though may not grasp it
- Bangs objects or cup on table
- Pokes finger in holes
Grasping:
- Uses thumb, index, and middle finger to grasp for objects
- Uses all fingers to rake for small objects
- Crumples paper with palms with 1 or 2 hands
- Grasps cheerios with thumb side of index finger
9-11 months
Visual Motor:
- Bring 2 cubes together in midline
- Claps hands
- Has object in both hands will extend arm for the 3rd object
- Removes pegs from pegboard
- Release objects voluntarily into an adult’s hand
- Remove socks
- Picks up cheerios with thumb and index finger and drops them into cup
- Places 3 to 7 cubes into a cup
Grasping:
- Grasps pellet with pad of thumb and index finger
- Controlled grasp of cube with more use of fingers rather than palm of hand
12-14 months
Visual Motor:
- Opens books
- Stirs spoon in cup
- Turn bottle over and dumps out pellet in a bottle (container play0
- Places 7 cubes in a cup
- Places pegs on pegboard
- Places 1 shape into correct form board/puzzle
- Puts cheerios in a bottle
- Starting to scribble with marker on paper
Grasping:
- Picks up 2 cubes with 1 hand and holds them
15-18 months
Visual Motor:
- Stalks 2-3 cubes on top of each other
- Places 2 shapes into correct holes or formboard
Grasping:
- Grasps marker with fisted grasp and scribbles spontaneously
19-24 months
Visual Motor:
- Tuns 3 pages of a book
- Places 3 shapes into correct holes in formboard/puzzle
- Stalks 4-6 blocks
- Draws a vertical line with demonstration
Grasping:
- Can push, pull, or dump things out
25-30 months
Visual Motor:
- Imitates drawing a vertical -lines
- Stalks 8-10 cubes
- Cuts paper in 1 place (snipping)
- Draws a horizontal line
- Strings 2 to 4 large beads
Grasping:
- Removes screw/twist on lid to a container
- Bends paper producing a crease
- Uses a digital pronated grasp on maker
31-36 months
Visual Motor:
- Draws a circle
- Builds a 10 -block tower
- Can copy block designs with 3-4 blocks
Grasping:
- Snips with paper with child safe scissors
- Transitional grasp on maker
37-42 months
Visual Motor:
- Cuts paper in 2 pieces
- Laces 3 holes
- Cuts on a thick line and stays within ½” inches from line then entire length of line
- Traces horizontal line
- Draws a cross
Grasping:
- Holds a marker with three fingers (thumb, index and middle) finger not with a fisted grasp
49-54 months
Visual Motor:
- Draws a square
- Copies cross
- Cuts out circle printed on paper
- Connects dots by drawing a straight line
- Builds simple blocks designs with blocks with a visual model (steps, pyramid)
Grasping:
- Holds a marker with the pad of thumb, index, middle finger (tripod grasp)
60-63 months (5years,3 months)
Visual Motor:
- Draws: circle, square, and triangle
- Prints own name
- Draws a person with at least 6 body parts
- Copies diagonal lines in correct direction
Grasping:
- Has a dynamic tripod grasp, movements are from the finger bending and extending and not from the shoulders
