Occupational Therapy addresses hand-eye coordination

Occupational Therapy (OT) addresses hand-eye coordination, i.e. the Integration of visual information with hand movement. Hand-eye coordination is the ability to use our muscles and our vision in tandem. This requires development of visual skills, like visual acuity, and muscle skills. OT can help with strengthening of the muscles in the eyes and hands while enhancing neural pathways to improve everyday functioning.

These skills impact many aspects of life. In its absence, most children would be unable to carry out even the simplest of actions such as picking up a toy from a table.

When do you need Occupational Therapy for your child?

• Difficulty achieving age-appropriate developmental milestones

• Struggling with fine motor activities

• Trouble with gross motor activities

• Avoids eye contact and inappropriate Social Interaction

• Poor coordination

Here are a few activities that an occupational therapist would do to improve hand eye coordination:

• Scribbling/drawing with different types of materials (e.g. crayons, pencils, pens, chalk, paint)

• Drawing specific shapes or lines (e.g. diagonals)

• Make shapes using various materials such as sticks or toothpicks

• Tracing over shapes and simple pictures

• Mazes and connect-the-dots tasks

• Colouring in to teach them how to stay within the lines

• Stringing beads

• Dressing up dolls and toys

• Using an etch-a-sketch

• Tossing beanbags

• Playing catch with balls of various sizes

• Bouncing balls or playing volleyball

• Playing tennis or tennis-like games (e.g. using a balloon instead of a tennis ball)

• Bowling

• Playing ‘Simon Says’ or similar games to raise awareness of left/right

• Juggling

The home routine can include simple and basic hand eye coordination activities such as playing ball, dressing up dolls, mazes and connecting dots, drawing shapes and lines, juggling, bouncing ball etc. Children who have poor eye hand coordination normally refuse to partake in games or sports and might find it difficult to manage daily activities (for e.g. personal hygiene).

Other reasons why an occupation therapist would be required:

• Birth Injuries or Birth Defects

• Sensory Processing Disorders

• Traumatic Injuries to The Brain or Spinal Cord.

• Learning Problems

• Autism

• ADHD

• Behavioral Problems.

• Broken Bones or Other Orthopedic Injuries

People with a physical, sensory, or cognitive disability can be overly dependent on others all through their life. OT helps individuals decrease their dependency by improving their cognitive, physical, sensory, and motor skills. This in turn enhances their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.