Motor Planning
Over the past month, I have been dealing with tendinitis in my right wrist. The brace I’ve been wearing has interfered with many daily tasks. It hits unintended keys when I type, makes it hard to write and generally gets in the way. I’ve tried to switch to my left hand for some things and have run smack dab into “motor planning,” something I heard about from my son’s occupational therapists way back in the early days as a parent of an Autistic individual.
Motor planning starts with thinking about how we are going to move our body to do certain tasks that eventually become automatic. Many folks with Autism have trouble with motor planning. They may seem clumsy or take much longer than others to complete a task. Motor planning can affect school performance because basic physical tasks take more time and energy.
Children with Autism may use different, less efficient neural pathways and need extra practice and guidance to learn a new motor skill. This is where your occupational therapist is invaluable. OTs understand the building blocks to these skills and can pinpoint just what needs to happen to develop them. With their assistance, tasks like tying shoes, buttoning and holding a pencil can be conquered.
I have often said that Special Olympics gymnastics and swimming were “free OT”. It certainly taught my son, Kieran, a great deal about large motor planning. I am grateful to all the coaches, as well as the professional Occupational Therapists who have helped him along the way!
Kathi J. Machle, President