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Greetings, An important foundational step in the life of a child is the development of fine motor skills. The first movements of the hands – grasping, pinching, and finger movements – build the brain and establish the ability for tasks such as feeding, buttoning, shoe-tying, and writing. Fine motor skills build confidence and independence. Research shows that innate infant movements drive the development of gross and fine motor skills (Utley, 2018). When these infant movements are hindered, the result can be retained reflexes and, in turn, difficulty with fine motor skills. Specifically, when Hand reflexes — such as the Palmar/Babkin and Grasp reflexes — are unintegrated (retained), we often see weak hand muscles, inability to move the thumb and fingers separately, tense pencil grip, hyper-sensitive palms, and lack of dexterity.

The hands and mouth are connected by reflexes in infancy. That is why retained hand reflexes are often seen with speech challenges, drooling, movements of the mouth while moving the hands, and tension in the jaw.

Poorly developed hand reflexes can have an impact in the classroom. Richards et al. (2022) state: "Primitive reflex retention may interfere with handwriting development. In a cross-sectional study, we explored a possible relationship between reflex retention and handwriting difficulties among 74 children ages 7-9 years. We found that more children with handwriting difficulties had reflex retention, and reflex retention was associated with handwriting ability, after controlling for vision, implying a likely need to address reflex integration (p. 1)."

Other retained reflexes may also be involved in cases of fine motor deficits. In a mixed methods study of 40 Australian Indigenous children (4.6 to 5 years), Callcott (2012) found that 65% of the children had a retained Asymmetrical Tonic Neck Reflex (ATNR) that was significantly associated with poor fine motor skills and delays in school readiness. School readiness was determined by evaluating fine motor abilities such as cutting with scissors, drawing figures, and copying. For those children with moderate to high levels of retained ATNR, teacher reports also revealed behaviors such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity (Callcott, 2012).

The effects of retained reflexes can go beyond physical deficits. A lack of gross and fine motor skills is associated with peer victimization (Øksendal et al., 2022) and may affect self-esteem resulting in withdrawal from physical activities (Missiuna et al., 2003 as quoted in Callcott, 2012).

Movements — like those taught in the Brain and Sensory Foundations program — are an important key for helping individuals of all ages develop gross and fine motor skills. For example, Brown (2010) evaluated a program with 65 preschool children, comparing a reflex-based movement intervention to a control intervention, to determine its impact on fine motor skills. The results from the study provided evidence that the reflex-based movement intervention had a significant effect on improving the children’s fine motor skills.

For anyone who struggles with fine motor skills, the innate rhythmic and reflex integration movements are simple yet powerful tools to lay the groundwork for developing the hands, fingers, brain, and sensory systems, which leads naturally to improvements in fine motor ability. Want to see some real-life visuals showing how movements can make a powerful difference? See stunning "before and after" samples here and here. Help us to spread the word; please share this with friends and colleagues.

Best wishes,

Sonia P

P.S. Check out clever tools to help with the important fine-motor skill of shoe-tying. These innovative products by Kelly Wilk-Downs can be a life-saver for parents whose kids struggle with this important task.

Shoe Tying Made Fun!

Learning to tie their own shoes can be a sweet rite of passage in a child’s life – one of many tiny steps toward independence. But, shoe-tying can also be a challenge – one filled with stress as a child and parents struggle to get out the door each morning . OT Kelly Wilk-Downs developed something to help. Shoe Tying Made Simple products give you an easy way to guide children in learning this important life skill.

These oversized teaching sneakers are 18- inches in length and come with bicolored teaching laces. This unique tool helps you engage children and guide them in learning the important life skill of shoe tying. Bicolored teaching laces help children generalize and improve the skill of shoe tying. The unique flat, oval design helps laces stay tied. (Currently only the Black and White color laces are available.) Shoe Tying Made Simple Teaching kits help children who want to tie their own shoes. Parents or teachers set the laces up in the child’s shoe to begin. This kit comes with a pair of bicolored laces and an instructional brochure.   Why Writing in Better Than Typing Go here to learn more. Brown, C. G. (2010). Improving fine motor skills in young children: An intervention study. Educational Psychology in Practice, 26(3), 269-278. Callcott, D. (2012). Retained primary reflexes in preprimary-aged Indigenous children: The effect on movement ability and school readiness. Australasian Journal of Early Childhood, 37(2), 132–140. Richards, L., Avery, R., Gray, S., & Price, R. (2022). Relationship of retained primitive reflexes and handwriting difficulty in elementary-age children. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76 (Supplement_1), 7610505010p1. Missiuna, C., Rivard, L., & Bartlett, D. (2003). Early identification and risk management of children with Developmental Coordination Disorder. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 15, 32–38. Øksendal, E., Brandlistuen, R. E., Holte, A., & Wang, M. V. (2022). Associations between poor gross and fine motor skills in pre-school and peer victimization concurrently and longitudinally with follow-up in school age—results from a population-based study. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 92(2), e12464.

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