Introduction

Newborn babies naturally grasp objects placed directly in their hands. Beginning in infancy, they reach for nearby objects. Once they acquire more motor skills, they are able to progress to reaching for more distant objects. When an infant reaches for a target with their upper extremity, their hand prepares to grasp the toy or object. Infants use different hand positions to explore their environment based on their age. This course explains how infants move from spontaneous movements for hand contact and exploration to a more goal-directed intentional reach and grasp action.

Learning outcomes

At the end of this course you will be able to:

• describe the various hand positions that infants aged 0 to 7 months use for self-touch
• discuss spontaneous movements in relation to hand function in infants aged 0 to 7 months
• summarise the general characteristics of infant hand function from 0 to 7 months

Target audience

This course is aimed at rehabilitation professionals, students and assistants including but not limited to Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech and Language Therapists, Rehabilitation Doctors, Rehabilitation Nurses, Prosthetists, Orthotists, Psychologists, Audiologists, Dietetics, Social Workers. Community Health Workers, Nurses or Medical Doctors interested in this subject are also invited to participate.

Practicalities

• Availability - this course is online and can be completed on your own schedule.
• Hours of Learning - No deadlines are applied to this course and it can be started and completed in your own time according to your personal schedule. We expect the required elements to take around 1-1.5 hours depending on your schedule and learning style. Additionally there are many optional resources provided and if you choose to review these the course could take longer to complete.
• Types of Activities - This course includes instructional and/or practical videos, reading activities, AI supported learning activities, reflection, evaluation forms, a quiz and additional resources.
• Certificates - At the end of the course, when you have completed all of the required elements, you will be able to download a certificate of completion and 1.1 Plus points will be added to your personalised learning dashboard.

Instructor financial and non-financial disclosures

Pam Versfeld: No relevant relationships disclosed by instructor.

Accessibility and Non-Discrimination Policy

Physiopedia Plus is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all participants. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, colour, national origin, religion, sex, disability, military status, sexual orientation or age in any aspect of our continuing education services. We are dedicated to ensuring that all learners can fully participate in our programmes. Participants who require accommodations or have special needs are encouraged to contact us with details so that we can make all reasonable efforts to meet these requirements.