FM.B.5 BRINGS HANDS TOGETHER

From birth the child will hold on tight to a finger that is placed in his grasp – a lovely feeling for parents! An early milestone, showing that the child is beginning to develop further, occurs when the child brings his hands together in the space above his chest. Because this milestone is important for Gross Motor, as well as Fine Motor development, you will also find it discussed in Sequence GM.A.

How to Assess

Method: Observe your child while he is lying on his back.

Score plus if he brings his hands together at the midline, to touch and/or hold. Do not score plus if your child only does this when you cradle him in your arms.

How to Teach

Guide your child’s hands together from the elbows, giving him the feeling of interlocking and stroking his own fingers.

Although you should not be holding your child when you assess this item, you can use this position to help your child to get the idea; your body and arm will naturally bring his hands together. This is easy to do at feeding times; you can bring his hands together on the bottle or against your body.