Mountain of MD

Reflexive Period

Major and traumatic transition from womb to world

Preadapted Period

Onset of voluntary movement

• Goal is independent function

• Rudimentary movements take the place of reflexive

movements (stability, locomotion and manipulation)

• Stability-control of head and neck and trunk

• Locomotion include creeping, crawling and walking

• Manipulation include- reaching, grasping and releasing

Rudimentary Phase

Ranges from birth to age 2

• Divided into two stages

-Reflex inhibition stage-as the brain develops, child

moves away from primitive reflexes and replaces with

voluntary movements. Movements are purposeful but

appear uncontrolled and unrefined.

-Precontrol stage- begins around age 1, more

precision and control in movements. Rapid cognitive

development and motor processing allows for better

control in movements. Preparing them for the next phase

(fundamental movement phase)

Fundamental Patterns Period

Locomotor

• Object Control

• Manipulation

• Building blocks of future motor skills

• Goal is to provide a diverse motor repertoire that will

allow for later learning.

Context Specific Period

The goal of the context specific period is learning how

to apply fundamental movement patterns to a variety of

constrained situations.

• May happen as early as 4 or 5, but typically around 7

years of age.

Skillful Period

The goal of this period is to achieve skillful movement.

• Once true skill is achieved, one can apply their behavior

in a variety of contexts and situations.

• Can focus on strategy and not solely skill.

Compensation Period

Compensation implies that a part of a system is not

performing up to standard and the rest of the system must adapt in

order to accomplish the goal.

• In the case of motor development, this

can be thought of as a change in the constraints that produce a

behavior and a subsequent behavioral reorganization to afford

continued function.

• Clark (1994) defined the compensation period as

a time when the system adapts, or compensates for detrimental

changes in individual constraints. There are two ways in which the

compensation period can be brought about, including injury-induced:

a change in individual constraints associated with an injury, and aging-

associated: the typical changes in individual constraints that are

associated with the process of aging.