Did you know that being able to tie your shoes used to be a Kindergarten standard? Are you still tying your Kindergartener's shoes? How about your 4th grader's??
In a recent study, it was found that a child's ability to learn a motor skill (think shoe-tying or bike riding) is related to their handwriting and reading proficiency.
This research discusses how similar brain regions are involved in learning perceptual-motor, motor, linguistic, and other cognitive skills, meaning that the same parts of the brain can be involved with learning to read and write that are used in learning to tie shoes. Similarly, these neurological (brain) disconnects may underlie deficits in handwriting and reading.
What does all of this mean?
One, that seeing your child struggle early on with age-appropriate tasks such as playing with toys, tying shoes, riding bikes, and so on can be an early sign that the child might end up struggling with reading and writing. Second, that being hypervigilant with children who struggle with these tasks is necessary in order to ensure the earliest intervention. And third, that building up these lagging skills and foundational components will help build up their reading and writing skills.
So if you have noticed your child having difficulty with any of the above, PLEASE reach out here for a free consultation because it can indicate that other things can be going on.
Read the research article here.