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Published on: June 20, 2020
Preschool Hand Function Assessment Instruments: A Scoping Review With Targeted Analysis of Performance-Based
Marieta Visser1, Robyn Smith2, Daleen Casteleijn3
1Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, ufs.ac.za.
Occupational Therapy International
|May 7, 2026
Summary
Accurate hand function assessment for preschoolers is crucial, but current tools are limited. This review identified 62 instruments, highlighting the need for a standardized, adaptable performance-based tool for diverse global settings.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric occupational therapy
- Developmental psychology
- Rehabilitation science
Background:
- Hand function significantly impacts preschool children's daily participation and development.
- Current hand function assessment practices for preschoolers are inconsistent and lack standardized tools.
- Existing instruments often fail to comprehensively assess all hand function components or are not suitable for diverse contexts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To map and analyze published hand function instruments used with preschool children (ages 3-5 years).
- To identify gaps in current assessment tools, particularly regarding standardization and cultural adaptability.
- To provide a foundation for developing or refining assessment tools for global application.
Main Methods:
- A comprehensive scoping review methodology was employed.
- Searched 13 databases for instruments relevant to preschool hand function up to September 2024.
- Two independent reviewers screened 810 sources, including performance-based tools, proxy measures, and developmental assessments, with 84 meeting inclusion criteria.
Main Results:
- Identified 62 unique hand function instruments for preschool children.
- Most instruments (74.2%) were performance-based, but only one assessed all hand function domains.
- A significant scarcity of research and tools from the Global South and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) was noted.
Conclusions:
- There is a critical need for a standardized, culturally adaptable, performance-based hand function assessment tool for preschoolers.
- Such a tool should reflect real-world occupations and be applicable across diverse clinical and research settings.
- This review provides a crucial foundation for addressing assessment gaps in both high- and low-resource environments.
