4 Motor Development and Milestones

What are the motor developmental period?

• Infancy: Birth to 2 years old

• Childhood: 2 years old to adolescence

• Adolescence: Puberty to adulthood

• Adulthood: Approx. age 20 to 70 years

• Older adulthood: 70+

Piaget’s Theory of Intelligence

• Based on behavioral response of his own children

• Four stages of cognitive development

  • Sensorimotor

  • Preoperational

  • Concrete operational

  • Formal operational

• Does not represent life-span of intellectual development

Maslow (theory of lifespan)

Developed a hierarchy where each higher level depends on mastering the one before

Erikson (theory of the entire lifespan)

• Believed each state of a person’s life would be confronted with a personal challenge (8 stages total)

• Each person will choose one or the other life stage options

• By making this choice, a person establishes their personality

Dynamic systems theory

Movement emerges from the interaction of multiple body systems

Neuronal group selection theory

No motor programs and neural plasticity

Epigenesis

The theory that humans grow from a simple organism to a complex one through progressive differentiation

Dissociation

• The ability to separate movement in one body part from the movement in another

• Mature movements are characterized by this

Variation and variability

the exploration of possible movements

Maturation

The result of physical changes caused by preprogrammed internal body responses

Adaptation

The process by which environmental influences guide growth and development

Reciprocal interweaving

developmental progress involves the alternating, temporary imbalance between opposing tendencies, followed by their integration into a higher-level, balanced pattern of behavior

What are the three development processes

• Growth (increase in size)

• Maturation (physical changes that automatically happen)

• Adaptation (environmental influences can affect growth)

Motor milestones

• Every child should do certain tasks by a certain age

• May be a medical problem if a milestone is not met by the upper range of normal - called a developmental delay

Motor milestone progression (IMPORTANT)

1.) Head control

2.) Segmental rolling

3.) Sitting

4.) Creeping/crushing

5.) Walking

6.) Reaching, grasping, releasing

Gross motor

Overall movement of large mm

Fine motor

Small muscles of the hands and the ability to manipulate small object (hand-eye coordination)

What are the typical motor milestones?

• Birth to 3 months:

  • Initial flexor tone

  • Beginning head control ; head to 45 dgs in prone

• 4 months

  • Head to 90 dgs in prone

  • Hand to midline

  • Reaching

• 5 months

  • Head movmt into flex in supine

  • dissociation of head and limbs

What are typic motor milestones for a 6 month old?

• Righting reactions

• Segmental rolling

• Transitional movements

• Grasping

What are typical motor milestones for a 7 month old?

• Unsupported sitting

• Lateral protective reactions

• Voluntary release of objects

What are typical motor milestones for an 8 month old?

• Creeping

• Increased UE strength

What are typical motor milestones for a 9 month old?

• Quadruped position

• Cruising

What are typical motor milestones for a 12 month old?

• Ambulation

• Hips and knees in flexion

What are typical motor milestones for a 16-18 month old?

• Arm swing/heel strike

• Balance reactions

What are typical motor milestones for a 2 year old?

• Kick a large ball

• Arm swing and heel strike with gait

• True running

What are typical motor milestones for a 4 year old?

• Galloping

• Catch a small ball

What are typical motor milestones for a 6 year old?

• Stand on one foot for 10 sec

• Developing sports skills

How does the body change in general during aging?

Asymmetrical → symmetrical → asymmetrical

What happens to posture as you age?

• Cervical curve dec

• Thoracic curve is kyphotic

• Lumbar curve flatten

What happens to balance as you age?

• Sensory systems change

• Larger sway in quiet standing due to dec vibration awareness

What happens to gait in an older adult?

• Cadence, velocity, and stride length dec

• Step width inc to inc BOS

• Difficulty with stepping over object and climbing stairs

Peabody Developmental Motor Scale

• Birth to 5 years old

• Takes 45 -60 min

• Composed of 6 subtests that measure interrelated motor abilities that develop in early life:

  • Reflexes

  • Stationary

  • Locomotion

  • Object manipulation

  • Grasping

  • Visual-moto integration

Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOT 2)

• Measures fine and gross motor skills

• 4-21 years old

• Takes 15-60 min

• Consists of 8 subtests:

  • 4 in gross motor (bilateral coordination, balance, running speed, and agility and strength

  • Four in fine motor (fine motor precision and integration, manual dexterity, and upper extremity coordination)

Head control

• 4 months

• Holding head up in vertical position

• 45 dgs in prone at birth - 3 months

• 90 dgs in prone at 4 months

• Lift head up in supine at 5 months

Reaching

• 3-4 months

• Visually directed reaching

Propping on elbows

• 3-4 months

• Able to get in position automatically

Prone on extended arms

• 4-6 months

• Able to get in position automatically

Rolling (log rolling)

• 4-6 months

• Rolls both ways

• Prone to supine develops first because it can be done accidentally (it’s easier)

Scooting

• 5 months

• Could start earlier on stomach then sitting

Grasping

• 6-12 months

• Tries different grasping tech (palmar, scissor, radial-palmar, etc.)

Segmental rolling

• 6-8 months

• Baby rolls on a sequential wave-like motion (head, shoulders, hips, legs)

Sitting unsupported independently if placed there

• 6-8 months

• Will sit if placed in sitting but cannot get there on their own yet

• Back is straight and no hands to support

Grasp and release (voluntarily)

• 7-10 months

• Immediately growing an object and then letting go

Creeping

• 8-9 months

• Reciprocal (each side of t he body does something different)

Cruising

• 10-12 months

• Holding on to something and walking sideways

Walking

• 12-18 months

• Wide BOS, legs abd, ER, lumbar lordosis, arms in high guard, scapular add

Climbing stairs alternating legs

• 3 years

• With rail and without rail