Fluency and functional motor skills following brain injury

Abstract The focus of this study was to try to establish key component, or element skills, and their underlying tool skills to improve functional gross motor skills to fluent levels for individuals who had suffered brain injuries. Four participants using the key component Big 6 skills of reach, point, touch, grasp, place, and release were studied to determine whether building these skills to a high rate could increase the functional motor skills in the impaired hand or in the non‐impaired, non‐dominant hand. The study indicates that increasing these skills to fluent levels increases the functional use in the participant's gross motor skill impaired hand and the non‐impaired, non‐dominant hand. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.