In-hand manipulation of children aged four and five-years-old: translation, rotation and shift movements, in Bloemfontein

INTRODUCTION Occupational therapists play an essential role in the evaluation and treatment of children with deficits observed in everyday tasks such as writing, dressing and playing. These activities are dependent on good hand function, the components of which include the aspects of muscle strength, grips and grasps and the most complex skill, namely in-hand manipulation (IHM)1,2. IHM is the “process of using one hand to adjust an object for more effective object placement, or release; the object remains in that hand and usually does not come in contact with a surface during IHM”3:35. If a child presents with IHM deficits, activities could be executed in a slower manner or with greater difficulty 4. Evaluation of IHM in children has been done in terms of various observation checklists. Several researchers, such as Exner5,6, CaseSmith3,7 and Pehoski8 have conducted studies on IHM, but to date no standardised test has been developed that evaluates all aspects of IHM.1 As a result of the lack of norms regarding IHM, therapists are not aware of what can be expected of specific age groups in terms of IHM, causing difficulty with regard to accurate assessment and intervention planning. If IHM problems are not identified at an early age, further hand function deficits could develop and influence the child’s function in daily activities such as in school, personal independence and play1. The research presented here aimed to describe the IHM skills of a multicultural group of 195 four and five-year-old English speaking children in Bloemfontein. This study was conducted in 2011 by fourth year occupational therapy students. The aim of this study was not to develop a standardised assessment tool for IHM, but only to provide a foundation for further IHM related studies. The observational checklist developed for, and used in this study, did In-hand manipulation of children aged four and five-years-old: translation, rotation and shift movements, in Bloemfontein