The relationships among sensorimotor components, fine motor skill, and functional performance in preschool children

This correlational study investigated the relationships among sensorimotor components, standardized measures of fine motor skill, and functional performance in self-care, mobility, and social interaction. It also examined which sensorimotor components and fine motor skills were predictors of functional performance.

Thirty preschool children with motor delays were evaluated with tests of in-hand manipulation, tactile defensiveness, stereognosis, grasping strength, and fine motor skill. Parents of the subjects were interviewed with the Pediatric Evaluation of Disabilities Inventory. Correlational and regression analyses were computed.

Significant correlations were found among sensorimotor components and discrete fine motor skills as measured on standardized observational tests. Few correlations emerged between foundational components of fine motor skill and functional performance in self-care, mobility, and social function.

Lack of significant relationships among the variables, all of which were aspects of functional performance might be due to the difference between judgment-based and observational evaluation, the influence of the environmental context on the child's performance, and the influence of cultural values on the opportunities afforded to the child.