The emergence of fine motor skills in children with Down syndrome

Abstract

In this chapter, we review the literature on the early development of fine motor skills in young children with Down syndrome. Fine motor skills are the behaviors we engage in using the small muscles of our hands and fingers. These abilities are important because they support the production of skills that are necessary for independence such as activities of daily living and academic skills. They also can be part of developmental cascades, which enable the emergence of different skills later in development. Some key conclusions emerge from this review. There is considerable variability in the emergence and development of fine motor skills in young children with Down syndrome. Some children develop these skills along timetables that are not notably different from typically developing infants and young children. But for other children, these skills develop later and with some differences. Some of these differences are quite subtle and others are more pronounced. Overall, we note the paucity of studies conducted on this topic. In order to find enough research to write this review, we utilized many studies that were not focused on the development of fine motor skills in Down syndrome but did include at least one measure of these skills. There is an urgent need for additional research, including studies with larger sample sizes and multiple longitudinal observations. These studies would allow researchers to gain a more complete understanding of the developmental trajectories that characterize the emergence and development of these skills. In addition, the use of sophisticated statistical techniques would provide opportunities to describe different heterogeneous profiles that exist within the population of children. Our overall conclusions include a call for more research on this topic and some suggestions for future research questions that would be especially useful.