A method of evaluation of upper limb reaching and keying function in children with motor disability

The following paper describes a method used to quantitatively study the reaching behavior in a group of pre-school children with and without motor disabilities. The focus is on two aspects of reaching, namely the aiming movements of the hand towards targets, and the vertical forces applied on them. Results show characteristic differences between the two groups of children arising from an incomplete development of motor ability in children with disabilities. It is concluded that reaching behavior can be objectively studied using motion analysis and force sensing equipment, and that motor performance of children with disabilities can be quantitatively studied.