***Sensory Tip of the Day!***
Hand-over-hand assistance is an "old school" technique which has been proven via brain mapping studies to be ineffective as an approach in teaching a child how to perform a task. Research shows that a child's brain shuts down the instant the parent/teacher places a hand over the child's hand to assist. The study was fascinating! (This was at a conference many years ago, so I don't have any electronic files or websites to link you to, you will have to take my word for it.) Regardless of this fact, there are plenty of other reasons why hand-over-hand assistance is not a good idea for our children. It is important to remember that children with sensory challenges often find it uncomfortable to have an adult physically right in their space and within such close proximity...forcing that child's hand to do something. Not only is the hand-over-hand approach uncomfortable, you have other sensory factors from the adult's presence: 1. Smells: (breath, lotion, perfume, hairspray, clothing detergent, etc) 2. Tactile input: hair brushing against them, the rings or jewelry on the adult's hand to contend with, texture of clothing 3. Sound: Having a person talk to you within inches from your ear. .....INSTEAD: Provide the "just right challenge" and use backward or forward chaining to complete the activity as well as modeling and demonstration and very simple verbal instructions, step by step. ~Angie Voss, OTR
Hand-over-hand assistance is an "old school" technique which has been proven via brain mapping studies to be ineffective as an approach in teaching a child how to perform a task. Research shows that a child's brain shuts down the instant the parent/teacher places a hand over the child's hand to assist. The study was fascinating! (This was at a conference many years ago, so I don't have any electronic files or websites to link you to, you will have to take my word for it.) Regardless of this fact, there are plenty of other reasons why hand-over-hand assistance is not a good idea for our children. It is important to remember that children with sensory challenges often find it uncomfortable to have an adult physically right in their space and within such close proximity...forcing that child's hand to do something. Not only is the hand-over-hand approach uncomfortable, you have other sensory factors from the adult's presence: 1. Smells: (breath, lotion, perfume, hairspray, clothing detergent, etc) 2. Tactile input: hair brushing against them, the rings or jewelry on the adult's hand to contend with, texture of clothing 3. Sound: Having a person talk to you within inches from your ear. .....INSTEAD: Provide the "just right challenge" and use backward or forward chaining to complete the activity as well as modeling and demonstration and very simple verbal instructions, step by step. ~Angie Voss, OTR