OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to determine whether writing tool type and angle of writing surface affect grasp.
METHOD. Fifty-one children 23 to 24 months of age who were typically developing drew with a primarymarker, colored pencil, and small piece of crayon on a table and an easel. The marker and pencil were presented pointing left, right, and toward the child. The order of writing tool presentation was counterbalanced. Grasps were scored with a 5-point rating system and analyzed with dependent t tests.
RESULTS. Children used a more mature grasp when drawing with a piece of crayon than with a pencil. No difference in grasp maturity was found when using a pencil compared with a marker. A more mature grasp when drawing on the easel compared with the table was used with the crayon but not with the marker or pencil.
CONCLUSION. Results imply that a short writing tool combined with a vertical surface can influence the grasp of young children.
