Occupational Therapy

Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skills refer to the small movements of the hands and fingers. These are vital in all areas of a child’s life, and difficulties can result in reduced independence, difficulties at school and low self-confidence.

Some of the difficulties you may have noticed in your child could be:

  • Difficulty manipulating small objects (e.g. opening containers, playing with Lego)
  • Uses an immature grasp when picking up objects
  • Trouble using both hands together
  • Struggles with dressing independently (especially buttons and zips)
  • Poor pencil grasp
  • Messy handwriting / drawing
  • Difficulty using scissors

At The Kids Place:

  • We conduct screenings and assessments of the many underlying skills which may affect attention and concentration (e.g. visual and auditory memory, sensory processing difficulties, visual skills).
  • We offer individual sessions to develop the skills required for sustained attention and concentration.
  • We support your child to learn how to self-monitor and implement strategies to ready their body for learning.
  • We provide strategies and recommendations to support attention and organisation at home and school. This may include changing positioning in the classroom, supports like a fidget toy, decluttering visual stimulation, to name just a few of many options.
  • We meet with other professionals (e.g. teachers) to plan how to best support your child’s learning journey and maximise their potential.
  • We offer formal and informal feedback to other professionals (e.g. paediatricians) if requested by you.
  • We are happy to write a short referral to a Paediatrician of your choice if you wish for further investigation, and request this from us in writing (email).

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