Hand Dexterity in Children: Administration and Normative Values of the Functional Dexterity Test

Purpose To document normative values from the Functional Dexterity Test (FTD) for typically developing children and to optimize test administration and interpretation. Methods A total of 175 typically developing children aged 3 to 17 years participated in the study. Children completed the 16-peg FDT with both hands, and elapsed time was recorded in seconds. Data were analyzed as 16/time, interpreted as speed (pegs per second). A linear regression analysis predicted speed from age and hand dominance. Results Functional Dexterity Test speed increased linearly in typically developing children by 0.04 pegs/s for each year of age. This rate of increase was the same for dominant and nondominant hands. Dominant hands were faster than nondominant hands by 0.09 pegs/s at all ages. There was no sex difference. Conclusions This study provides age-specific normative values for functional dexterity in typically developing children in 2 formats: as a growth chart of FDT speed versus age and as a regression model that calculates expected speed given a child's age and tested hand dominance. Recommended pediatric modifications to the FDT are to use speed (pegs per second) instead of time (seconds) to report results, and to not assess penalties. The norms presented allow clinicians to compare both speed and rate of change over time of pediatric patients with typically developing children, which makes it possible to distinguish developmental change from intervention. Type of study/level of evidence Diagnostic III.