Hand Function in the Child

This comprehensive resource and clinical guide for students and practicing pediatric therapists features current information on the neurological foundations of hand skills, the development of hand skills, and intervention with children who have problems related to hand skills.

• Covers foundation and development of hand skills, therapeutic intervention, and special problems and approaches.
• Is readable, concise, and well-organized with a consistent format throughout.
• Integrates recent research findings and current thinking throughout the text.
• Emphasizes neuroscience and the hand's sensory function and haptic perception.
• Applies neuroscience and development frames of reference throughout.
• Implications for practice included in each chapter.
• Presents concepts in the foundation/development chapters that are linked with the intervention chapters.

Part I: Foundation of Hand Skills
1. Cortical control of hand-object interaction
2. Anatomy and kinesiology of the hand
3. Normal and impaired development of force control in precision grip
4. Perceptual functions of the hand
5. Reaching and eye-hand coordination
6. Cognition and motor skills

Part II: Development of Hand Skills
7. Hand skill development in the context of infants’ play: birth to two years
8. Object manipulation in infants and children
9. Handedness in children
10. Self-care and hand skill
11. The development of graphomotor skills

Part III: Therapeutic Intervention
12. Intervention for children with hand skill problems
13. A fine motor program for preschoolers
14. Evaluation of handwriting
15. Principles and practices of teaching handwriting
16. Upper extremity intervention in cerebral palsy: a neurodevelopmental approach
17. Pediatric hand therapy
18. Splinting the upper extremity of a child
19. Efficacy of interventions to enhance hand function