Week 1 - Introduction to Motor Skill Development

Behavioral development equivalence

Motor skill acquisition is synonymous with behavioral development.

Postural control impact

Brings new parts of the environment into view and reach.

Locomotion impact

Makes the larger physical world accessible to infants.

Manual skills impact

Promotes new forms of direct interactions with objects.

Developmental cascade

Motor skills trigger changes in perception, language, cognition, and social domains.

Diagnostic use of age norms

Identifies potential developmental delays when onset falls outside normative ranges.

Experience vs. age

Experience trumps age as the primary predictor of motor skill emergence.

Cultural effect on motor skills

Deliberate practice accelerates onset, while movement restriction delays skill onset.

Locomotor flexibility learning

Achieved through massive, time-distributed, variable daily practice and exploratory action.