The relationship between a child’s postural stability and manual dexterity

Abstract

The neural systems responsible for postural control are separate from the neural substrates that underpin control of the hand. Nonetheless, postural control and eye-hand coordination are linked functionally. For example, a stable platform is required for precise manual control tasks (e.g. handwriting) and thus such skills often cannot develop until the child is able to sit or stand upright. This raises the question of the strength of the empirical relationship between measures of postural stability and manual motor control. We recorded objective computerised measures of postural stability in stance and manual control in sitting in a sample of school children (n = 278) aged 3–11 years in order to explore the extent to which measures of manual skill could be predicted by measures of postural stability. A strong correlation was found across the whole sample between separate measures of postural stability and manual control taken on different days. Following correction for age, a significant but modest correlation was found. Regression analysis with age correction revealed that postural stability accounted for between 1 and 10 % of the variance in manual performance, dependent on the specific manual task. These data reflect an interdependent functional relationship between manual control and postural stability development. Nevertheless, the relatively small proportion of the explained variance is consistent with the anatomically distinct neural architecture that exists for ‘gross’ and ‘fine’ motor control. These data justify the approach of motor batteries that provide separate assessments of postural stability and manual dexterity and have implications for therapeutic intervention in developmental disorders.

Trunk, head and pelvis interactions in healthy children when performing seated daily arm tasks

“…However, in healthy children, trunk movement is also seen when performing tasks within arm length distance (Schneiberg et al 2002; Coluccini et al 2007). Furthermore, trunk motions are often needed to maintain postural stability during daily tasks (Flatters et al 2014). In healthy children and adults, the head generally shows a countermovement relative to the trunk resulting in a constant head orientation in space (Sveistrup et al 2008).…”

Hitting the Target: Mathematical Attainment in Children Is Related to Interceptive-Timing Ability

“…Balance measures of gross motor skills showed no clear relationship with mathematical or reading attainment scores, though there did seem to be a relationship between balance with eyes closed and writing attainment ( Figure 5, Orange). This pattern highlights the importance of having a stable base when performing fine motor tasks such as writing (Flatters, Mushtaq, et al, 2014).…”

Differences in muscle activity patterns and graphical product quality in children copying and tracing activities on horizontal or vertical surfaces

“…However, while in the sitting position, the subject may have rested one or both elbows and/or wrists on the table, thereby supporting the torso and relieving the gravitational workload demands from the proximal muscles. During the standing task, the child was subjected to various postural demands (Flatters et al, 2014b) as well as the demand to support the full weight of the limb, which might have influence the performance. Despite these postural differences, there were no significant differences in the graphic quality produced in the two different postures.…”