tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post115772434338209242..comments2024-03-26T07:00:11.620-05:00Comments on Wisdom of the Hands: Doug Stowehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13003845322415622289noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34011427.post-1157761382177111062006-09-08T19:23:00.000-05:002006-09-08T19:23:00.000-05:00Doug: Great to see this site, in honor of whose y...Doug: Great to see this site, in honor of whose youth I thought I'd say something about the earliest steps toward an enduring hand-mind partnership as I've seen them taken by my grand-daughter, now just 14 months old. From completely undifferentiated open/close movements of the whole hand and fist, she has gradually gained the ability to control the pinch grip of thumb/index finger (thanks to endless practice collecting Cheerios and then depositing them in her mouth). Starting at about six months she was manipulating small objects bimanually. She became skilled at dropping things from her high chair. She next began tapping hard surfaces with spoons and blocks, testing their sounds. She also started exploring the surfaces of grampa's teeth with her fingertips. She started using her hands to pull herself up. She learned to use a spoon to maneuver peas into her mouth. She began to tear paper; then to pull books from bookshelves. She played with a springy doorstop to make noises. By the age of 1 year she was gesturing -- pointing with her index finger, waving bye-bye, slapping both hands to the temples repeatedly with a wild facial expression as if to say: "Oh, what can I do???!! She has fallen in love with buttons: buttons on musical toys, buttons on her mom's Blackberry, and now the buttons on the elevator in our building. Two weeks ago she started walking, and immediately she approached other small children to pat them on the head, or touch their tummy, or gently push on the belly-button (as if expecting to see the kid's nose light up). <BR/><BR/>It's already a huge repertoire. What next????Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com