Starting with finger foods is recommended from 7 months in typically developing children. However, information on which finger foods are appropriate and accepted for which age is largely lacking. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether chewing skills, hand motor skills, and other personal and food characteristics influence the intake of finger foods in early life. Thirty children aged 12 to 18 months participated in this study. All children were offered four finger foods in a fixed order on four consecutive days at their home. Two finger foods varied mainly in texture (fresh banana vs. freeze-dried banana) and two other finger foods mainly in shape (stick vs. heart shaped cracker). The intake was measured after ten minutes of exposure to the product. Chewing skills were measured with the Mastication Observation and Evaluation instrument and fine motor skills with selected items of the Bayley-III-NL scales. The results suggest that texture but not shape was found to affect intake, as fresh banana was eaten more than freeze-dried banana and the consumed quantity of the two crackers was not significantly different. Hand motor skills affected the intake of fresh banana only and chewing skills did not affect intake of any of the finger foods. Age and experience with chewable foods were associated with an increased intake of some of the finger foods. In conclusion, the intake of the four finger foods in this study was found to be mainly affected by texture, hand motor skills, age and experience.
DOCUMENT
Smart tangible toys, designed for hand manipulation, can transform fine motor skills assessment into enjoyable activities which are engaging for children to play (partially) unsupervised. Such toys can support school teachers and parents for early detection of deficiencies in motor skills development of children, as well as objectively monitor the progress of skills development over time. To make a game enjoyable for children with different skills level, these smart toys could offer an adaptive game play. In this paper we describe the design and deployment of a digital board game, equipped with sensors, which we use to explore the potential of using smart toys for fine motor skills assessment in children.
DOCUMENT
The clubfoot deformity is one of the most common congenital orthopaedic “conditions”. Worldwide approximately 100,000 children are born with unilateral or bilateral clubfoot every year. In the Netherlands the incidence is approximately 175 every year. This three dimensional deformity of the foot involves, equinus, varus, adductus, and cavus . Left untreated the clubfoot leads to deformity, functional disability and pain. Physical impairments of children with clubfoot might lead to limitations in activities and therefore impede a child’s participation. In clinical practice, the orthopaedic surgeon and physiotherapists are regularly consulted by (parents of) clubfoot patients for functional problems such as impaired walking and other daily activities. This does not only affect long-term and physical health of a child, it will also affect the development of social relationships and skills as well. Since walking is a main activity in children to be able to participate in daily life, our previous study (financially supported by SIA Raak Publiek) focussed on gait differences between children with clubfoot and controls. However, differences in gait characteristics do not necessarily lead to functional limitations and restricted participation. Therefore, providing insight in participation and a child’s performance in other activities than walking is necessary. Insight in a child’s participation will also indicate the functional outcome of the treatment, which on its turn could provide essential information concerning a possible relapse.. Early identification of a relapse is important since it could prevent the need for major surgical interventions. The occurrence of a relapse clubfoot will probably also lead to functional differences in the foot as well as problems during activity and participation. Therefore, the main focus of this study is the functional outcomes of physical activities and the characterisation of participation of children with clubfeet in daily activities of childhood.
