Motor Co-ordination
Motor co-ordination involves the ability to control the muscles of the body. Vision, as well as kinesthetic input from receptors in the muscles, joints, tendons and skin provide essential information for the development and refinement of motor co-ordination.
Gross motor co-ordination is the ability to use our arms, legs and torso in a functional manner. Gross motor skills involve the large muscles of the body that enable functions such as walking, running, kicking, sitting upright, lifting and throwing a ball.
Fine motor co-ordination involves using the small muscles of our body, such as our hand muscles for complex, intricate activities, e.g. writing and drawing. Eye-hand co-ordination requires co-ordinating the action of the eyes and hands together in performing precise manipulative movements.
Children and young people who have issues with motor co-ordination often have trouble holding and manipulating objects: they sometimes move unsteadily, unable to use their arms and legs together, appear clumsy and may show poor control or dexterity.
We can help them learn how to develop their skills and improve their ability to carry out a task using a four pronged approach:
- Plan - thinking through and acting upon a plan for motion
- Time movements – co-ordinating the body parts to respond to the task demands at the correct time and pace
- Predict – anticipating where and how to move the body parts to carry out the task
- React – responding promptly to the changing demands of the task and co-ordinating the body parts to complete the task
Guided practice from our expert OT team will help them learn new skills and pick up visual cues to encourage the process.
To find out more about how the CTS team can support your child, please call 01664 567917 or Contact Us.
