Swipe, flash, tap are all common household sounds in this day and age. We have all become accustomed to hearing the constant beeps and dings of the iPad or iPhone in our homes. However do you ever wonder what the the impact of these electronic gadgets are having on our fine motor development.. our more poignantly how is it impacting the development of our children?
We all know play in the traditional sense, with tangible toys and objects is so important for overall child development. However, what if your child plays on the iPad more than he should. What then? Should you as a parent be fighting tooth and nail to get it away from him? or is it ok?
As an OT, I often hear so many parents proudly admit that their child does not have an iPad or has very limited screen time, often going to great lengths to shield their children from the use of technology. However I also meet parents who embrace electronic toys and iPad games with their toddlers. So what is the better option ? My non technical answer is…. everything in moderation.
But the one thing we all need to know before we can answer this question effectively is …… “What exactly is the impact of technology?” We all know there is an impact, but what we don’t know is…”How detrimental is it to fine motor development?” and…. “What can we do about it?”
It was time to face the hard truth about physiological impact of technology. So that’s exactly what I did. I started shifting through all the research, and like you…..I was expecting to find an overwhelming amount of research indicating that technology use was terrible for our fine motor development. However what I found was NOT ALL bad. There was a positive angle…. thank goodness.
I also realized that many colleagues, parents and therapists needed to hear this. That’s when I decided to create this mini bite-sized CEU course for professionals below (only 20 minutes). In this super quick course where I not only reveal the surprising consequences on fine motor development, but also provide you with 2 simple yet fun activities you can do to lessen the impact.
Watch it in your lunch break, complete the three question quiz and download the certificate. It’s the easiest, quick, FREE lunch & learn CEU ever.
Don’t forget to comment let me know what your thoughts are. I wonder if you will be as surprised as I was?!?!?!
To enroll in the course and take the quiz, you need to register first. Click here!
Here are some links to help you create the 2 activities to address the missing skills highlighted in this video.
PINCER STRENGTH ACTIVITY
Pinch/ Grip strength Red Exercise Pins
GRIP STRENGTH ACTIVITY
REFERENCES
1. Fain, E., & Weatherford, C. (2016). Comparative study of millennials’ (age 20-34 years) grip and lateral pinch with the norms. Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand Therapists, 29(4), 483–488. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2015.12.006
2. Sungsup Ra, Unika Shrestha, Sameer Khatiwada, Seung Won Yoon & Kibum Kwon (2019) The rise of technology and impact on skills, International Journal of Training Research, 17:sup1, 26-40, DOI: 10.1080/14480220.2019.1629727
3. Twarek, Melissa & Cihon, Traci & Eshleman, John. (2010). The effects of fluent levels of Big 6 + 6 skill elements on functional motor skills with children with autism. Behavioral Interventions – BEHAV INTERVENT. 25. 10.1002/bin.317.
Click here for more BITE SIZED 15-20 minute CEU COURSES designed to help you make
MORE PROGRESS & SAVE TIME.
