Development of in-hand manipulation and relationship with activities.
OBJECTIVE
This study examines the age-related increase of in-hand manipulation, the consistency of using a manipulation strategy, and the relationship between the frequency of in-hand manipulation and activities that typically require use of intrinsic hand control.


METHODS
Children (N = 184) between 2 years and 7 years of age were observed during selected activities that could elicit three forms of in-hand manipulation: rotation, finger-to-palm translation, and palm-to-finger translation. The child's use of a manipulation strategy was recorded. Activities that required manipulation of objects including a spoon, buttons, and crayons were also observed.


RESULTS
The study demonstrated that the frequency of two types of in-hand manipulation increases with age and illustrated the uneven nature of development of different types of in-hand manipulation. Even when the child had the ability, use of in-hand manipulation as a movement strategy was inconsistent. Small but significant relationships between in-hand manipulation skill and performance in selected activities were found when the effects of age were controlled.


CONCLUSIONS
On a practical level, the findings raise questions as to whether maturity of in-hand manipulation may be a factor limiting performance in the everyday activities of typically developing children.
Division of Occupational Therapy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599, USA.
R
R
Humphry
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K
Jewell
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Rosenberger
D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012494:Sampling Studies