Definition
Gross motor skills
Require whole body movement – everyday activities such as standing, walking, running, climbing, riding a bike or scooter
Fine motor skills
Require using the small muscles in the fingers, hands and forearms – picking up items, writing and drawing
Eye hand coordination refers to the ability to coordinate vision with movement
How might the person with FASD be affected
Problems with fine motor skills include: holding a pen and writing, using scissors and doing up buttons and laces
Problems with gross motor skills include: trouble learning to ride a bike, trouble coordinating arms and legs when running, falling over more commonly than other kids
Floppy or stiff limbs
Delayed skills e.g. picking up and stacking blocks in a tower, making duplo or lego models
Tips for managing these difficulties
Help the person participate in activities they like such as football, bowling, swimming, dancing, playing the drums
Plan fun physical activities and play with the child – activities do not need to be formal sessions in a therapy room
Lead by example and show the child how to do the activity by breaking the activity into parts e.g. catching a ball- how to hold hands, where to look, what to do when ball hits the hand
Remember the language and memory strategies when teaching them new skills
Encourage a child to use their hands – e.g. daily use of pencils, puppets, play dough
Help with tasks such as doing up buttons, tying shoe laces – it may take many children with FASD longer to learn and they will need to repeat the activity more frequently and for a longer period of time. Practice on toys that have clothes and shoes, own items of clothing not being worn
Be aware of the persons attention span e.g. they may only be able to do the activity for a shorter period of time compared to other children the same age
Provide breaks between activities