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KEY WORDS
* hand
* outcomes assessment
* pediatrics
* psychomotor performance
* task performance and analysis
The Test of In-Hand Manipulation (TIHM; Case-Smith, 2000) is a five-task test that uses a 9-hole pegboard to examine 2 key components of in-hand manipulation: rotation and translation with stabilization. The authors used Rasch modeling to examine the TIHM's construct validity, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability in 45 typically developing children ages 5.5 years to 6.5 years. A version of the test, revised using Rasch modeling, was found to have evidence for adequate construct validity and excellent interrater reliability. However, test-retest reliability over a 2-week retest period was not supported. The TIHM demonstrates potential as a clinically useful assessment of in-hand manipulation. The test does not examine all aspects of in-hand manipulation, however, and it may have limited sensitivity to the performance of finger-to-palm and palm-to-finger translation. Further validation of the test is needed before the TIHM can confidently be used in occupational therapy practice.
Pont, K., Wallen, M., Bundy, A., & Case-Smith, J. (2008). Reliability and validity of the test of in-hand manipulation in children ages 5 to 6 years. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 384-392.
Successful participation in childhood occupations relies on dextrous hand use. The accomplishment of many daily activities requires the manipulation of an object within the hand after grasp to prepare the object for voluntary release or use in the hand. Exner (1989) termed this fine motor skill in-hand manipulation (IHM) and outlined three main types: (1) translation, which describes the movement of an object between the fingertips and the palm of the hand, for example, picking up coins and placing them into a purse; (2) shift, which is characterized by the linear movement of an object at the fingertips, for example, threading a needle; and (3) rotation, in which an object is rotated about one or more of its axes at the fingertips, for example, unscrewing a jar or turning a pen end over end to position it for writing. Another component of IHM is stabilization, in which one or more objects or parts of objects are prehended in the ulnar portion of the palm so that the thumb and radial fingers can participate in another hand skill, for example,...