EARLY MOTOR DEVELOPMENT 1 Newborn movements have been

EARLY MOTOR DEVELOPMENT 1

Newborn movements have been catergorised into two general catergories; 1. Random or spontaneous 2. Infantile reflexes The two are very different. 2

Spontaneous Movements Are infant movements that occur without any apparent stimulation. There are two 3

Supine Kicking and Walking Thelen etal. 1995 analyzed supine kicking and found that it was not random but rhythmical and had a coordinated pattern The ankle, knee and hip joints moved supportively with each other. The kicks had 4 phases; 1. A flexion phase, 2. A pause phase, 3. a forward extension phase and 4. A between –kick interval. 4

Supine Kicking and Walking The coordination of these kicks resemble the positioning of an adult walking step. The kicking in infants , however , has a similar but not identical coordination pattern to walking. 5

Spontaneous Arm Movements They show well coordinated extention of the elbow, wrist and finger joints 6

Infantile Reflexes It is an involuntary movement to a specific stimulus that is seen only during infants. Sometimes these responses occur only if the body is in a specific position. Reflexes seen during infancy can be categorised into 3 types of movements. 7

Infantile Reflexes Primitive reflexes Postural reflexes Locomotor reflexes 8

Differences Between Spontaneous Movements and Infantile Reflexes are responses to specific external stimuli, whereas spontaneous is not a result from any apparent external stimuli. Reflexes are specific and often localised, whereas spontaneous movements tend to be non specific and generalised The same stimuli will produce a specific reflex over and over again. 9

Role of Reflexes in Survival Primitive reflexes; In nourishing and protecting the primitive reflexes are critical for survival eg. Oral sucking action when the lips are touched. A neonate (infant less than 4 weeks old) is born without the voluntary capacity to ingest food by voluntary means 10

Role of Reflexes in Survival Postural Reflexes Or gravity reflexes, help the infant to automatically maintain posture in a changing environment. Some of these responses keep the head upright keeping the breathing passages open. 11

Role of Reflexes in Survival Locomotor Reflexes They are related to the development of later voluntary movements of walking , crawling and swimming 12

Reflexes as Diagnostic Tools They are important in determining the infant’s level of neurological maturation. Severe deviations from the normal time frame may indicate immaturity or dysfunction. Reflexes however should be tested carefully and only by trained professionals. 13

Motor Milestones A motor milestone is a essential motor skill whose attainment is associated with the gaining of later voluntary movements. The order in which an infant attains these milestones is relatively consistent, although the timing differs among individuals. 14

Motor Milestones Each skill has a preceding milestone associated with it This progressive pattern of skill gaining can be related to predictable changes in individual limitations that occur in typical developing infants. These include; 15

Changes in Individual Constrains Maturation of the central nervous system. Development of muscular strength and endurance. Development of posture and balance Improvement of sensory processing 16

Average (months) 0. 8 Motor Milestone Chin up 2. 0 Chest up 4. 0 Sits with support 5. 0 Sits on lap, Grasps object 6. 0 7. 0 Sits in chair, grasps dangling object Sits alone 8. 0 Stands with help 9. 0 Stands holding furniture 10. 0 Creeps, walks when led 17

Average (months) Motor Milestone 12. 0 Pulls to stand 14. 0 Stands alone 15. 0 Walks alone 18