Bilateral coordination - Occupational Therapy
Does your child seem clumsy, uncoordinated or or move awkwardly? But why?
Bilateral coordination is the ability to coordinate both sides of our body in a controlled manner at the same time. It is a foundational ability that is required for many different activities and tasks in our daily life. Having good bilateral coordination means that our brains are communicating and sharing information effectively to allow our hands or feet work together or separately, at the same time.
This ability must be well developed for a child to be able to achieve competence and fluency in higher up areas of our learning pyramid. A child having difficulty with bilateral coordination can have difficulty in areas such as:
Daily activities of living: tying shoelaces, putting on clothes
Fine motor activities: threading beads, buttoning
Visual motor tasks: drawing, writing, cutting, throwing/catching
Gross motor activities: crawling, running, walking, skipping, walking up/down stairs, riding a bike
OT's can address underlying skills needed to achieve bilateral coordination such as: crossing the midline, establishing hand preference, body awareness, core strength and stability, motor planning, and motor skills as they all have an influence on the child’s ability to complete the tasks listed above.
If you are looking for occupational therapy assessment or intervention, contact us to arrange an appointment at our new centre in Oak Rd, Kirrawee. Email info@kidsinspired.com.au
- Christine
