Collaborative Model to Improve Fine Motor Skills in Children

Do you provide push-in or collaborative treatment sessions as a school-based Occupational Therapist? Many school-based therapists do provide related services in this manner to help improve carryover of services. Occupational Therapist Ingrid C. King, MScOT, completed a research study on a collaborative model to improve fine motor skills in children.

The Aim of the Study on Collaborative Model to Improve Fine Motor Skills in Children

Young students’ fine motor skills are an important predictor of their future academic success. Yet it is uncertain whether teachers have the means to identify and address students’ fine motor needs. Occupational therapists working in schools have the knowledge and skills to train teachers, thereby improving outcomes for larger numbers of students. This is a suitable delivery method of services considering funding limitations and long waitlists for therapy.

The purpose of the study was two-fold:

to examine the effectiveness of a fine motor collaborative modeling teacher training intervention on the fine motor task performance of low-income five-year-old students and whether there was a significant difference in their fine motor performance after the intervention.
to explore whether the collaborative modeling motor training intervention was effective from the teacher’s perspective. Would the teacher continue to use the knowledge and activities acquired after a five year period of time had elapsed, and if so, why?

Methodology

A two-phase mixed methods design was utilized. Changes in students’ fine motor performance were measured using a one group pre-test post-test design. A five-year follow-up interview was conducted to explore the teacher’s perceptions. The classroom-based training occurred over 20 weeks. One time per week, the therapist demonstrated activities with the students. These were repeated by the teaching staff. The fine motor program ran with the entire class for eight weeks and then with a group of six students for the remaining 12 weeks. The fine motor program was an early Fantastic Fingers™ Fine Motor Program version. The five-year-old New Zealand students were attending a school in a low-income area.

Results of the Study on Collaborative Model to Improve Fine Motor Skills in Children

A significant difference was found in the group’s fine motor performance following the teacher training intervention. The teacher continued to use the knowledge and activities after the training was completed. The researcher concluded that training teachers about fine motor skills using a collaborative modeling intervention appears to improve students’ fine motor skills and is likely to benefit future student groups.

The fine motor program used with the collaborative model to improve the students’ fine motor skills was the Fantastic Fingers® Fine Motor Program.

The Fantastic Fingers® Fine Motor Program includes ebook, music and instructional videos which is user-friendly, economical and research-based. It helps to improve the development of children’s fine motor skills, pencil grip, and posture. Find out more here.

Read the full study here.

Reference: King, Ingrid C. OT (2014) Then and now: Addressing young students’ fine motor needs through a collaborative modeling teacher training intervention. Retrieved from the web here on 7/25/18.

Read about fine motor skills and vocabulary development.

Read about Fine Motor Skills and Reading.