WHAT ARE MOTOR SKILLS?
To perform a task or movement, our brain sends signals to our motor units of individual nerves and collections of muscle fibres at precise intervals to orchestrate the contraction of muscles throughout our body. Learning a motor skill is like writing a computer program to a disc – the program, imprinted on the brain, plays back as a motor reflex. The method of imprinting a motor skill “program” on the brain is repetition.
Over time, basic motor skills can be combined and built upon to master more complex skills – just like most things in life once you have the basics it is from there you can build.
Reaction times, limb movement speeds, kinesthesis, sense awareness, balances, mechanical aptitudes and coordination
are basic motor skill characteristics. Reaction times measure how quickly someone responds to stimuli. Limb movement speed measure how quickly a person moves limbs between assigned locations. Kinesthesis measures how well someone can replicate assigned body segments alignments. Sense awareness measures how well people perceive minimal stimuli changes. Static and dynamic balance measure how well they stand perfectly still and walk narrow rails. Mechanical aptitudes measure how well someone performs fine hand-eye manipulations. Coordination measures how well people can perform unfamiliar motor skills.
To help understand motors skills and their development, it is important to know that the brain is fairly compartmentalised. The part of the brain that tells the shoulders to move is separate from the part that tells the right thumbs to move. The right side of the brain controls the movements on the left side of the body and vice versa. Therefore, movement of the right shoulder is controlled by a separate area of the brain - from that part that controls the left shoulder. This part of the brain that controls muscle movement is called the "motor strip". The motor strip is
separate from the part of the brain that interprets spoken speech, stores vocabulary words, recognises symbols, signals the urge to breath, and all the other things that we do that we are unaware of doing.
How Motor Skills Develop
In small children, the maturational process occurs fairly predictably from the top down. First head control is gained as the nerves supplying the neck muscles mature and the neck muscles gain strength. The shoulder, upper arms, and hand control improves. Upper body or trunk control is next, then the hips and pelvis, and finally the legs. Because hand movements are so complex, doctors track "fine motor" skills separately from gross motor skills. Balance and coordination are part of gross motor skills although they have more complex controlling systems than just the motor strip.
The familiar order of gross motor development: turning the head from side to side when lying prone on the stomach
at two weeks, then lifting the head briefly when prone at two to three months, holding the head upright by four to five months, then raising up the shoulders and upper chest when four to five months. Arm movements also gain some control about age to four to five months as the infant can bring their hands mid-way when lying on their back.
After that, she can reach and grab an object and bring it to her mouth. She can hold an object in one hand and transfer it to another by six to seven months. Truncal control allows the baby to sit propped against her outstretched arms about six to seven months with independent sitting by eight to nine months. Finally, pulling up as the signals to the pelvis and thigh muscles increases followed by standing and then walking. After that, signalling continues to be refined and allows the child to run, climb, hop on two feet, then one foot, then skip by age five.
Because gross motor skills are so obvious,these are the ones that people tend to notice the most. But remember, gross
motor is only one part of development. If gross motor skills are associated with delays in the other areas of development, this is more concerning for the child’s overall well-being. If gross motor skills are the only area that is lagging, this is usually not as concerning for long term well-being.
