By around 9 months, which fine motor skill is typically present?

By around 9 months, which fine motor skill is typically present?

• A. Palmar grasp
• B. Transfer from hand to hand
• C. Grasp with a raking motion
• D. Pincer grasp

Answer: (D)

This item is about the typical progression of fine motor skills in infancy. Infants move from using the whole hand to grasp and explore, toward more precise finger control. By about 9 months, they commonly develop a pincer grasp—the ability to pick up small objects by pressing the thumb against the index finger. This demonstrates refined finger opposition and independence of the digits, which are hallmarks of advancing fine motor development. It enables manipulating tiny objects and sets the stage for self-feeding and more intricate hand tasks. Earlier milestones like the palmar grasp (gripping with the whole hand), transferring objects from hand to hand, and a raking grasp (using fingers to rake objects toward the palm) occur earlier in infancy, so they are less typical as the sole fine motor skill at 9 months. Variation exists, but the emergence of the pincer grasp around this age is a common developmental benchmark.

This item is about the typical progression of fine motor skills in infancy. Infants move from using the whole hand to grasp and explore, toward more precise finger control. By about 9 months, they commonly develop a pincer grasp—the ability to pick up small objects by pressing the thumb against the index finger. This demonstrates refined finger opposition and independence of the digits, which are hallmarks of advancing fine motor development. It enables manipulating tiny objects and sets the stage for self-feeding and more intricate hand tasks.

Earlier milestones like the palmar grasp (gripping with the whole hand), transferring objects from hand to hand, and a raking grasp (using fingers to rake objects toward the palm) occur earlier in infancy, so they are less typical as the sole fine motor skill at 9 months. Variation exists, but the emergence of the pincer grasp around this age is a common developmental benchmark.