By, Micaela Kosty OTDS (Huntington University) & Kevin J. Koenigsknecht MSOT, OTRL
Today, Micaela and I decided to write about the importance of the development of grasp patterns. Grasping is often easily overlooked because it happens instinctively without us thinking about it. However, grasp pattern can play a very important role in your everyday life, whether it is writing our name, painting a project, signing a check, or even using our utensils to self feed. As an occupational therapist we often see clients with delayed grasp for their age, which can lead to difficulty with handwriting legibility, poor control and manipulation of objects and messy eating. We ultimately work to promote the age appropriate grasp, for each desired task to help facilitate, and encourage independence. Below we describe each grasp and the typical stages of development with those grasps. We hope this provides a good resource and understanding of the importance of our grasps throughout our daily life and how it impacts independence.
| According to Bayley Scales of Infant Development, children follow a predictable grasp pattern progression. Before children even desire to start coloring or writing, they build their grasp patterns from picking up everyday objects with a pincer grasp. This grasp involves the index finger and thumb when retrieving small objects throughout the day. |  |
At around 12-15 months, children begin to display a fisted grasp, which includes the whole hand grasping around the utensil, identified as the palmar supinate grasp. This grasp is typical for children beginning prewriting skills, such as scribbling.
At 15-18 months, a pronated grasp develops, where the hand rotates, and fingers pointed down on the utensil. This grasp pattern is identified as the digital pronate grasp, commonly seen with feeding utensils. This stage of grip involves the whole arm moving, compared to future grasps using majority wrist motions.
Around 3-4 years of age, further mature grasps develop, including static tripod and quadruped (or four-finger) grasp. The quadruped or four-finger grasp involves the four fingers pads around the utensil, with the pinky finger not involved. The static tripod grasp means the first three finger pads around the tool, with the ring and pinky finger stationary.
Around 5 + years, a further mature grasp labeled dynamic tripod grasp occurs. The fingers are now dynamic (meaning moving), utilizing fine motor control of fingers rather than the arm and wrist. The ring and pinky fingers are now tucked into the palm for stabilization on the table for decreased fatigue. Both dynamic tripod and quadruped promote handwriting legibility and are utilized throughout the lifespan.
References:
Case-Smith, J., & O’Brien, J. (2015) Occupational therapy for children and adolescents (7th ed.). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier.
Greutman, H. (2010, September 28). Typical pencil grasp development for writing. Growing Hands-on Kids. https://www.growinghandsonkids.com/pencil-grasp-development-for-writing.html
Schneck, C. M., & Case-Smith, J. (2015). Prewriting and handwriting skills. In J. Case-Smith & J. O’Brien’s, Occupational therapy for children and adolescents (7th ed., pp. 498-524). Maryland Heights, MO: Mosby Elsevier.