Hand Function 7-24 Month Period

Development of Hand Function

Development of hand function for infants occurs in two processes; cascades in development and perception-action loops with embedded exploration and selection.

Cascades in Development

Hand development in infancy is formed by previous learned skills. New skills are a combination of established development with new skill acquistion. Hand function begins by spontaneous movement transitioning into intentional goal-directed play.

Perception-Action Loops with Embedded Exploration and Selection

Infants will use repeated trials to learn new skills. With each opportunity they learn how to vary their movement to attain success. Some patterns of movements will be fruitful than others. Performing an action repetitively allows for different sensory feedback as a consequence of their movement. This process of executing various movement patterns over repetitive trials refers to the perception-action loop.

Perception

The way in which we gather information about the events within the environment, the events within it and the phys

erception is the process by which we gather information about the physical structure of, and events in, the environment. Perception makes sense of the continuous flow of sensory information received by the brain by recognizing patterns within the flow of sensory signals.

erception is an active process: it characterized by exploratory activities such as looking, listening, sniffing, tasting, and feeling (Gibson, 1966). Locomotion reveals the layout of the environment, manipulation reveals object properties, and social interaction is essential for person perception.

7-12 Month Period

Purposes of the hand during this period:

1. As part of the postural and locomotor systems
   • including learning to balance in sitting, crawling and buttock shuffling, cruising.
2. For communication and in social interactions
3. For picking up, moving and manipulating objects
   • to explore their different properties and what can be done with them.