Biomechanics & Movement Science Program, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware.
Department of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut.
Dev Psychobiol. 2019 Dec;61(8):1191-1203. doi: 10.1002/dev.21861. Epub 2019 Apr 18.
Self-feeding is a critical self-care skill that unites motor abilities (e.g., grasping and transporting utensils/food to the mouth) and cognitive abilities (e.g., using a spoon as a tool). This cross-sectional study assessed self-feeding behavior in a sample of 38 children with typical development (TD) and compared it between 18 of those children and 18 age- and sex-matched peers with arm movement impairments (MI). Children were assessed with a bowl of cereal and two spoons presented in four different orientations. Results suggested that children with MI were less successful than their TD peers in both motor aspects (e.g., grasp and transport of food and utensils) and cognitive aspects (correct grasp across spoon orientations) of self-feeding. Novel findings highlight: (a) interesting differences in visual attention between children with TD or MI; (b) the role of hand-preference in the correct grasping of the spoon(s) and effective self-feeding; (c) the positive relation between motor and cognitive aspects of self-feeding; and (d) that greater variability of self-feeding behavior relates to improved performance of cognitive aspects of the task. These results identify challenging components of self-feeding for children with MI that should be targeted by early interventions and assistive technologies aimed at increasing self-feeding independence.
自主进食是一项关键的自理技能，它结合了运动能力（例如，抓握和将餐具/食物运送到口中）和认知能力（例如，将勺子用作工具）。本横断面研究评估了典型发育儿童（TD）样本中的自主进食行为，并将其与 18 名具有手臂运动障碍（MI）的儿童与 18 名年龄和性别匹配的同龄儿童进行了比较。研究采用一碗麦片和两把勺子，以四种不同的方向呈现。结果表明，MI 儿童在进食的运动方面（例如，食物和餐具的抓握和运输）和认知方面（勺子方向的正确抓握）都不如 TD 同龄人成功。新发现突出了：（a）TD 或 MI 儿童之间视觉注意力的有趣差异；（b）手偏好在正确抓握勺子和有效自主进食中的作用；（c）自主进食的运动和认知方面之间的正相关关系；（d）自我喂养行为的变异性越大，与任务认知方面的表现提高相关。这些结果确定了 MI 儿童自主进食的困难组成部分，这些部分应成为旨在提高自主进食独立性的早期干预和辅助技术的目标。
