A community health nurse is educating a group of new parents about anticipated developmental milestones during the first year of life. Arrange the following fine motor skills in the chronological order in which they typically emerge in an infant.
- 1Bringing both hands together at the midline of the body
- 2Using a voluntary palmar grasp to secure a provided object
- 3Transferring a small toy seamlessly from one hand to the other
- 4Utilizing a crude pincer grasp to pick up a piece of food
- 5Demonstrating a neat pincer grasp to pick up a small, fine item
Answer
The correct chronological sequence of fine motor development is: bringing hands to midline, utilizing a voluntary palmar grasp, transferring objects between hands, using a crude pincer grasp, and finally demonstrating a neat pincer grasp.
Fine motor development in infants follows a proximodistal pattern, meaning it progresses from the center of the body outward to the extremities. An infant first learns to bring their hands together at the midline (2-3 months). Next, they develop a voluntary palmar grasp (5 months) to hold items with the whole hand. As coordination across the body improves, they learn to transfer an object from one hand to the other (7 months). Distal control then refines further, leading to a crude pincer grasp using the finger pads (8-9 months) and finally culminating in a neat, precise pincer grasp using the fingertips (10-12 months).
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Infant Fine Motor Skill Development (Proximodistal Progression)