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Bilateral coordination is when your child uses both sides of their body together to do an activity. This can be seen in gross motor skills, like crawling and walking, and fine motor skills. When your child uses both hands to do a fine motor activity, they’re building bilateral coordination skills.
To do activities that require bilateral coordination, your child uses a variety of grasp patterns and often crosses midline with either hand. Being able to use their hands together to do different actions shows that both sides of your child’s brain are working together. Activities like dressing, grooming, self-feeding, and play require bilateral coordination.
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Developing hand dominance and being able to do more complex fine motor activities (dexterity) requires bilateral coordination.
Bilateral coordination helps your child with many daily activities, like buttoning their pants, unzipping their coat, or tying their shoes. Or with school activities like printing, colouring, and cutting.
There are 3 different types of bilateral coordination.
Symmetrical: Both hands do the same motion or movement together. This is used when your child is pulling up their pants, using a rolling pin, carrying a large ball, or clapping.
Alternating: Both sides of the body perform the same motion or movement in an alternating pattern. This is more commonly seen in gross motor skills, like crawling and climbing. You may also see this during action songs like The Itsy Bitsy Spider, or when your child rips paper or twists open a jar.
Asymmetrical: Both hands are working together by doing different movements. Your child uses 1 hand as the supporting, or helping, hand. Their other hand is the doing hand. Many daily activities use asymmetrical fine motor skills:
Activities where your child begins to use a dominant hand are asymmetrical.
Your child starts to develop bilateral coordination skills while they’re a baby. Symmetrical movements develop first. You may notice your baby put their hands together on their chest, bring both hands to their mouth, or clap. They learn to push up through both hands when they’re on their tummy.
Once symmetrical movement is developed, your baby starts to develop alternating movements. You’ll notice this as your baby learns to pivot or turn on their tummy, and as they start to crawl.
Asymmetrical bilateral coordination develops last. It keeps developing and refining as your child discovers their hand dominance. Any activity that has a lead, or doing, hand uses asymmetrical bilateral coordination. A lead, or doing, hand is when 1 hand does the movement or activity, like eating with a spoon. The other hand is for support, like holding the bowl steady.
Struggles with bilateral coordination are easier to notice with alternating and asymmetrical activities.
If your child is struggling with bilateral coordination, you may notice that they:
If your child is struggling to use a variety of grasp patterns or to cross midline, they may struggle with bilateral coordination.
Floor play and crawling are important activities to help your baby start building bilateral coordination skills. There are many activities that can help build bilateral coordination for children who are 2 years of age and older.
Build independence with daily living skills, such as:
For more information or help with fine motor struggles, contact:
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