It Only Looks Easy
“Motor” in this case refers to the movement of the muscles, and “motor planning” means the ability to visualize how to do something and correctly sequence the movements needed to do it. Even the smallest movement can be a motor-planning challenge if your child has trouble judging distances and force.
When you string a couple of simple movements together into a complex movement — drinking juice, say — the degree of difficulty soars. And when you string a number of complex movements together into a more involved request — “Go to the refrigerator, get out the carton of juice, open the carton, pour yourself some juice, and drink it up for me, okay?” — you might as well be asking your child with sensory integration disorder to assemble a rocket ship and fly to the moon.
Another word for motor planning is praxis, which is Greek for “action” or “doing.” Therapists may refer to praxis or dyspraxia (impairment in praxis) on evaluations, and many of the tests used to determine whether a child has problems that could be helped by occupational therapy have the word praxis in their names, including the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT).
While motor planning isn't specifically a sensory activity, good and accurate motor planning calls on information from the senses. If your child isn't processing those well, her brain doesn't build up an internal image of the body. This is needed to give good information to her muscles about where they are and what they should do. Without accurate sensory information, motor planning can't proceed with the sort of smoothness and effortlessness most of us take for granted.
For this reason, many children with sensory integration disorder also have trouble with motor planning and sequencing. They get the steps in the wrong order. They forget the steps. They do things backwards or too hard or too gently, and everything falls apart. Then they get in trouble for not complying with a “simple request.”
You may have to accept that what seems easy and clear-cut to you may not look that way to your child. When your child balks at an activity for no apparent reason, stop and think about what that activity entails. Are you asking your child to do something he truly can't figure out how to do? Is he starting but getting lost and frustrated quickly? Or is he too puzzled to even try? Kids have a hard time understanding their problems and explaining them. Sometimes, misbehavior is the best communication they can offer.
Imagine how stressed you would be if someone demanded you do something you couldn't even begin to figure out how to do. What would you want from that person? More specific instructions? Less pressure? More understanding for your lack of ability? More appreciation of the effort you do make? Offer these things to your child. She does have to learn how to do these things, but you can't assume that she will be able to do them quickly, easily, and with as much grace as other children her age. Being your child's advocate means anticipating problems and being the person with the solutions.
