What on earth are “motor memories,” you ask?
Motor memories are physical tasks that your brain has memorized by feel. For example, we’ve all heard that once you learn to ride a bike, you never forget how to do it. That’s because once you’ve become accustomed to balancing the wheels, sitting upright on the seat, adjusting the speed of the petals, etc., you have created a motor memory. The brain sort of “takes over” and you can ride a bike without having to think about it.
Operating on Autopilot
Even driving a car involves motor memory in some respects. Experienced drivers don’t have to think… “Let’s see…first I put my key in the ignition. There. Then I put the car in drive. Okay…” No, we drive a car without thinking much about the physical tasks involved. We just climb in the car and our actions go into autopilot. Nor do we think about walking or running, etc. Our body already knows what those tasks “feel” like. So it just clicks into gear.
Children with developmental delays often struggle with physical tasks…everything from crawling, walking, to brushing teeth, holding a broom, writing their names, etc. Because they have difficulty with fine and gross motor skills, it is difficult for them to create specific motor memories.
So you can help them do it.
Help Your Child Create Motor Memories
Infants with developmental delays can be helped by having parents or physical therapists manipulate their bodies carefully to roll from front to back and vice-versa. An older baby can be gently put into a crawling position and have her legs and arms slightly lifted and moved forward, to simulate the crawl.
Older children can be taught to write by having a parent grasp their hands in the correct pen-hold and guiding them to write letters. They can likewise be taught to brush their teeth, ride a bike, throw a basketball, and other physical tasks by having an adult manipulate their bodies in the correct positions so their brains can create the motor memories they need.
The Perfect Golf Swing
I understand that golfers use various devices to help them create a motor memory. There is a certain “feel” of the perfect golf swing. Numerous contraptions have been invented to help amateurs get into that correct position and swing the club in just the right arc, allowing them to experience how it feels. Using these devices repeatedly will supposedly help the golfer remember the position of that swing.
If your child fumbles with tying shoes, struggles with holding a pen, can’t catch a ball or pour water into a cup without difficulty, remember the motor memory concept. Help your child place her hands, feet, and body correctly, even if it feels at first like you’re moving a rag doll. Let your son or daughter feel the correct position of the body in motion. You may need to frequently repeat this assistance, until the motor memory for the task takes over.
Kristyn Crow is the author of this blog. Visit her website by clicking here. Some links on this blog may have been generated by outside sources are not necessarily endorsed by Kristyn Crow.
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