Eye–hand coordination practice in autistic individuals - תרגול קשר עין-יד בקרב אוטיסטים
- motim51
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Last week we talked about the factors behind challenges in eye hand coordination in autistic individuals and how they are expressed in everyday life.
This week we move from theory to the practical aspect and talk about practicing eye hand coordination in autistic individuals.
Understanding the mechanism underlying eye hand coordination in autistic individuals allows us to develop more tailored therapeutic strategies.
The key to improvement is not only strengthening the muscles, but improving the synchronization between the eye and the hand.
We wrote several practice approaches and practical tips for parents and therapists, combining autistic individuals’ firsthand accounts on the topic and based on the principles of feedforward (prediction) and reducing feedback load, which we discussed in the previous post:
Finding motivation
Tasks that require eye-hand coordination demand far more effort than what is required of the average child or person.
The more motivation a child has to perform an activity, the more interest it holds for them and the more it serves as a motivating factor, the greater the effort they will invest.
If the child enjoys cooking, practice through kitchen tasks.
If the child likes numbers and calculations, practice through activities of that kind.
Tasks such as eating with a fork or putting socks on the right way are less motivating, and therefore less effort is usually invested in them.
Adapting task demands and learning materials to the student’s age
Imagine a student who receives the same tasks over and over again due to repeated failures.
Their frustration grows, and their responses become increasingly intense and resistant.
Testimonies from autistic individuals who learned to communicate through letter boards or typing show that they wished they had been taught using age-appropriate learning materials.
It is recommended to start from the assumption that the student understands, and to look for an appropriate way for them to demonstrate this, while maintaining age-appropriate learning materials that encourage motivation and effort.
Reducing environmental visual load
A 2025 review on the topic emphasizes that complex tasks place a very high load on autistic children.
The tip: when practicing a new skill (such as writing or cutting), make sure the work environment is free of unnecessary visual stimuli.
Visual “noise” makes it harder for the brain to synchronize between the target and the hand.
Adaptation: use worksheets with very clear and highly contrasted lines, to help the eyes “lock onto” the target.
“Eye first, then hand” technique
In everyday tasks, encourage the child to pause briefly before starting the movement.
The tip: “First find it with your eyes, then reach with your hand”.
In tasks such as threading beads or building with Lego, ask the child to look at the exact spot where they want to place the piece, and only then place it.
Why can this help? It strengthens the prediction strategy (the eye leads) and reduces the need for the eyes to track the hand during movement.
Using alternative sensory feedback
Sometimes, when the visual system is overloaded, touch can be used as support.
The tip: let the child feel the texture of the target (for example, raised letters or a rough surface).
Sensory information from the fingers can compensate for difficulties in visual synchronization and help the brain build a better movement plan.
Do not require the child to look, for example during dressing tasks.
Allow them to feel the texture of the clothes and, through this channel, choose their clothes and get dressed.
Physical activity and water-based activity
In water, bodily input is clearer due to the pressure of the water on the body. Therefore, there is a better ability to perform motor activities that require eye-hand coordination.
In water, the need to look at body parts in order to understand how to move them in the desired direction is reduced.
It is recommended to combine physical activity and time in the water while working on physical strengthening.
Light arm support
Due to the difficulty in synchronizing the brain’s intention with the body’s response, the body may sometimes react differently and the hand may move in the wrong direction.
Light support to the arm can help release this “stuck” moment and allow the hand to move toward where the child is trying to reach.
This is gentle support, not moving the hand for them.
In addition, children often use adults’ hands, guiding or pulling them toward the object they want.
A different perspective suggests that children are seeking a possible way to reach the object they see and want, but are unable to synchronize eye and hand, extend the arm, and grasp.
Allow them to use your support, while gradually trying to find ways toward independent access.
Practicing gaze disengagement (working on the gap effect)
Since research has shown that autistic children have difficulty transferring the advantage of “stimulus disappearance” to the hand, this skill can be practiced intentionally.
The exercise: play a game in which the child needs to touch a target that appears on the side.
Just before the side target appears, physically remove (or turn off) the central stimulus the child was previously looking at.
The goal: to help the brain “let go” of the previous stimulus and move more quickly to the next hand movement.
Training with moving targets (gradually)
Because the main difficulty lies in complex and dynamic tasks:
The exercise: start with pointing to stationary targets, and only when this becomes smooth and improves, move on to slowly moving targets, such as soap bubbles or passing a balloon.
As this improves, progress to faster-moving targets, first a large ball and then a smaller one.
An important message for parents
It is important to remember that what may look like clumsiness or slowness is often the result of sensory overload (cognitive, motor, sensory, and emotional).
Children are performing complex calculations with every movement.
Providing extra time, a calm environment, and focused practice on gaze disengagement can make a meaningful functional difference and strengthen children’s sense of competence.
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