Fine Motor Training using Conventional Tools, 3D-printed Toys and Digital Platform

Abstract

Early childhood muscle development is vital, especially for activities like pinch and grip, which require fine motor skills and eye coordination. Children with autism and Down syndrome often struggle with these activities, leading to rehabilitation programs using conventional tools. However, special needs children's limited attention span poses a challenge for trainers. This research aimed to address this issue by developing a training tool capturing and sustaining special needs children's attention, and analyzing their muscle activity with surface electromyography (sEMG). A comparison was made between conventional tools and 3D-printed toys with integrated audio and visual stimuli, extending to normal children and young adults using 3D-printed toys and a digital platform. sEMG signals from the flexor digitorum superficial muscle were recorded during fine motor training sessions. The findings revealed that the attention span of special needs children increased between 44% and 250% when using 3D-printed toys compared to conventional tools. Simultaneously, sEMG temporal analysis indicated lower mean amplitude for special needs children compared to their typically developed counterparts. Regarding the digital platform, it was observed that the muscle activity of typically developed children resembled that of those using 3D-printed toys when compared to young adults. In conclusion, the use of 3D-printed toys and digital platforms may offer additional advantages for fine motor skill training in children.