fine motor control and can it be improved?

[kchapman1988]

while in school, being taught to write i found my fine motor control would not allow we to write (or draw) in a steady and repeatable way, shapes kept changing from one iteration to the next and thus could only be done once. i think having double jointed hands doesn't help but i would like to know if anyone else had this happen and if they have found a way to improve?

(my English teachers were always angry that either my writing was illegible or too slow so i missed half of what was written on the board/said)

 

[anthoskate]

Yes, I also have this problem. I remember practicing for hours when I was younger and it didn't help much.

 

[clg114]

My fine motor control skills are very bad also. It is my understanding that this is a Aspie thing. Can it be improved? I've been like this all my life and I'll be 69 in a couple of weeks. But maybe that's just me.

 

[anthoskate]

When I write, the letters are all different sizes and styles and I take way too long to write what the rest of the class writes.

I also have problems with dictations.

 

[Kari Suttle]

I have bad fine motor skills too. It hasn't improved too much as i've gotten older; my handwriting has improved to the point it doesn't look pathetic, but it doesn't really look good - read: normal - unless i'm going really slow. My mom told me applying for jobs over the summer at my old college to remember to write neatly, if that says anything about my handwriting.

It affects me at work, though. Its annoying. I'm a cashier at the moment while i'm in school and its hard to open up a new bag if they don't automatically open like they're supposed to when the one in front of it gets taken off. Same goes for opening trash bags - at work for the register's trash can or at home - and starting a new roll of printer receipt paper. Its a roll of receipt paper so its taped down at the start of the roll, and that part's gotta be lifted and torn off which for my poor fine motor skills is hard. I had to ask the freaking manager to help me start the new roll so i could put it in the printer just last weekend, it was embarrassing. But it was either that or fiddle with it unsuccessfully for five minutes.

 

[Aspergirl4hire]

I have above-average fine motor skills (!) but my son has issues with writing and especially note-taking. A little OT, here, but I found something called a LiveScribe pen kit that has digital technology directly in the paper and a microphone and recorder in the pen. For two years he would take notes on the special paper, and when he got stuck, because he'd miss things, he'd tap the pen on the paper where the last relevant note was. The paper has dots that act like tape marks, and the pen's recorder would play back the lecture so he could cope.

I was in denial about his issues for a while, but his grades were a tipoff. He's not on the spectrum, but he has his own set of what I'll call "cousinly" issues--things that look like AS, but aren't.

 

[Judge]

Hmmmmm. My hand-eye coordination/dexterity has always been rather good.

 

[Flinty]

It used to be horrible, then I discovered Pac-Man and friends. It's still not excellent, but it's certainly not noticeably terrible.

 

[gonz]

Mine was terrible as a kid. They had me in special ed PE classes because of it.

Then, when I was 10, I started learning to play the guitar. It was extremely difficult at first. But I stuck with it because it was something I really wanted and, slowly but surely, I got better and better at making my hands do what I wanted them to.

 

[AsheSkyler]

There is a mild shake and wobble to my hands I don't think I'll ever be rid of. Despite working on the same comic for over five years, the characters still don't perfectly match each other. But as far as one shots where they don't have to be perfectly similar, I'm not that bad.

I heavily prefer typing when taking notes. I type so much faster than I write, and it's actually legible when I'm done! They say that's why doctors have such terrible handwriting. Having to develop a shorthand they could read!

 

[epath13]

For me writing and drawing is overwhelming, especially writing. But the more you do it and the more interest you have in doing it, the easier it may get. I think consistency is very important. When I drew several hours a day (between 1 and 3 minimum) I became less sensitive to drawing. But when I don't do it a lot, it becomes very stressful. It feels sort of like what a person might experience after drinking a LOT of coffee.

 

[danielcollins]

Yes.. although slightly different, I struggle to write in a near straight line.. it veers off at an angle and for a long time I wrote in mixed case (some caps some lower case)

Much better now, but with my job I sometimes go weeks without actually using a pen.

Simple motor skills like stirring a pan of milk can be a problem, usually put too much pressure in and it flys everywhere. This is a daily thing for me.

My friends have noted I put way too much pressure into trying to do something (like when trying to reset a phone or the like, they've commented my fingers go white with the pressure I put on it)

There's no finesse.. not that I don't try.

 

[kchapman1988]

i have been looking into wood carving for a while but realized i need to be able to draw in the first place to plan out or shape the wood initially... btw as an asside is it just me that feels horrible muscle weakness? (especially in anxious) i read a few things that may point to the double jointedness some aspies have making things much harder and needing to use more strength to fight gravity but that part could be utter tosh, thou i do feel an odd sense of inner weakness... lets not forget the bloody trembling

 

[epath13]

i have been looking into wood carving for a while but realized i need to be able to draw in the first place to plan out or shape the wood initially... btw as an asside is it just me that feels horrible muscle weakness? (especially in anxious) i read a few things that may point to the double jointedness some aspies have making things much harder and needing to use more strength to fight gravity but that part could be utter tosh, thou i do feel an odd sense of inner weakness... lets not forget the bloody trembling

I'm not sure if it's related to Asperger's or not, but Anxiety can cause those symptoms in some people. Even though sometimes, when I reach my limit and REALLY need a break I feel like I'm sort of... disappearing, separating from outside world even more than usual.
One more thing, my son and I were diagnosed with muscle weakness (don't remember another term for it). My younger son doesn't have it. (Both of my kids are on the spectrum)

 

[kchapman1988]

I'm not sure if it's related to Asperger's or not, but Anxiety can cause those symptoms in some people. Even though sometimes, when I reach my limit and REALLY need a break I feel like I'm sort of... disappearing, separating from outside world even more than usual.
One more thing, my son and I were diagnosed with muscle weakness (don't remember another term for it). My younger son doesn't have it. (Both of my kids are on the spectrum)

i think it was called low muscle definition.... you know, this Aspergers+ medley is really a pain in the a**, muscle weakness AND hyper jointed so you use more strength to lift things

 

[Progster]

I've always had bad handwriting, and my teachers used to complain about it. I don't write evenly and don't form the letters properly. Apparently I had difficulty holding the pencil properly. I never managed to learn cursive writing, even though it was taught at school. I often have difficulties manipulating things like keys in doors, mobile phones with touchpads and playing musical instruments such as the guitar. I don't have good manual dexterity and coordination, but hand to eye seems to be ok - I can thread a needle. Perhaps it has to do with muscle tone? I'm really not sure.

 

[tdhssp]

My son has had difficulty with fine motor skills his whole life. He has a fine motor tremor which was termed, "essential" (benign) but continues to cause him trouble. He is self-conscious of the shake and the more he attempts to focus the worse it becomes. This is really problematic because his two strong interests which he had hoped to turn into career - cosmetology/hair and music - depend upon a steady hand. We were told that there is medication which can help alleviate the tremor and were put on a waiting list to be seen by a neurologist. After months of waiting, my son was simply advised to "choose a different career". The physician was adverse to medication. Basically, the appointment and advice was a waste of time. Really, who tells an individual to give up on their goals? (Like I said to my son, well, we could have told him that his bedside manner sucks, perhaps he shouldn't be a doctor?) Anyway, I don't want my son to give up his dreams and neither does he. Does anyone have experience with the meds - positive experience or negative - which may determine whether we seek a second opinion? Thank you.

 

[epath13]

i think it was called low muscle definition.... you know, this Aspergers+ medley is really a pain in the a**, muscle weakness AND hyper jointed so you use more strength to lift things

I had physical therapy 3 times a week (at least) for about 12 years. It also included Neuromuscular electrical stimulation. I was able to move reasonably well around 4 years of age. Eventually I became pretty strong. My older son doesn't have physical therapy because his muscle weakness appears to be only in his hands and it's not that severe.
From my experience electrical stimulation can be very helpful. Maybe if you're having severe issues that could be something to look into.

 

[epath13]

My son has had difficulty with fine motor skills his whole life. He has a fine motor tremor which was termed, "essential" (benign) but continues to cause him trouble. He is self-conscious of the shake and the more he attempts to focus the worse it becomes. This is really problematic because his two strong interests which he had hoped to turn into career - cosmetology/hair and music - depend upon a steady hand. We were told that there is medication which can help alleviate the tremor and were put on a waiting list to be seen by a neurologist. After months of waiting, my son was simply advised to "choose a different career". The physician was adverse to medication. Basically, the appointment and advice was a waste of time. Really, who tells an individual to give up on their goals? (Like I said to my son, well, we could have told him that his bedside manner sucks, perhaps he shouldn't be a doctor?) Anyway, I don't want my son to give up his dreams and neither does he. Does anyone have experience with the meds - positive experience or negative - which may determine whether we seek a second opinion? Thank you.

I don't have experience in the area but from what I read the treatment may be available, not to completely eliminate it but to manage. You should definitely look for another doctor. Maybe in addition to finding a medication you may inquire about some sort of a therapy. And do you know what causes the tremor? Because the cause may have to be treated not the tremor itself.

I just saw something, maybe you'd find it useful:
Deep Brain Stimulation for Movement Disorders

 

[tdhssp]

I don't have experience in the area but from what I read the treatment may be available, not to completely eliminate it but to manage. You should definitely look for another doctor. Maybe in addition to finding a medication you may inquire about some sort of a therapy. And do you know what causes the tremor? Because the cause may have to be treated not the tremor itself.

I just saw something, maybe you'd find it useful:
Deep Brain Stimulation for Movement Disorders

Thanks, I appreciate any input or direction. My son began school early and was a recipient of services, such as physical therapy, since a toddler. That, however, has not improved the tremor. I remember sitting on the porch with him, taking kitchen tongs and picking up marbles or pennies with them and placing into a container for therapy. The medical professionals don't seem to have a reason why, it just is. My son has been tested twice for possible chromosome condition since we had another child with chromosome 18 difference. His results, however, return "normal." He has a number of what I refer to as ABC's (diagnostic labels) such as CAPD (Central Auditory Processing Disorder.)