Fine motor skills in children with Down syndrome a guide for parents and professionals

Synopsis

The updated and expanded 2nd edition of FINE MOTOR SKILLS IN CHILDREN WITH DOWN SYNDROME continues to be a popular, practical guide to understanding fine motor skills in children with Down syndrome and helping them develop these skills from birth through early adolescence. The first edition won a Parent's Choice Award in 1999. The author, an occupational therapist who has worked extensively with children with Down syndrome, is also the parent of a teenager with Down syndrome. She offers parents and professionals dozens of easy, home- and school-based activities, illustrated with black and white photos, which help children gradually acquire the skills they need for fine motor development. Readers learn how to incorporate work on fine motor skills into everyday activities and routines and to emphasise tasks that children can use throughout life -- play, self-help, printing, cutting with scissors, and computer use. New to this edition is a chapter on sensory processing and how the sensory system affects behaviour and learning in children with Down syndrome. Parents learn strategies that can help children handle various sensory problems so they can continue to learn daily living skills. Bruni includes new information on determining when a child is ready for 'pre-printing' activities (things a child can do to prepare for trying to print letters) and how to introduce related concepts (up & down; top & bottom; start & stop; left & right). The 2nd edition also includes more information on ways to help children learn self-help skills, such as dressing, using a fork and spoon, and becoming potty trained. This new and improved edition gives parents and professionals the expertise and confidence they need to help children build fine motor abilities and become more independent. Target Audience: Parents of children with Down syndrome, early intervention specialists, occupational and physical therapists, teachers