1Current Views of MotorDevelopment• Early pioneers Arnold Gesell and Myrtle McGraw believed thatmotor skills were determined mainly by neurologicalmaturation of the brain.• Current theorists see motor development as resulting from aconfluence of neural mechanisms, perceptual skills, changesin body proportions, and the child’s own motivation.Influences on motor development• Environment– Growth, strength,nutrition– Motivation• Practice– New skills build out of prior abilities– Motor pathways are refined through use.• Maturation– From central to peripheral– From head to toeFetal motor development• 6 weeks - arches and curls• 7 weeks - “startle” movements• 8 weeks - arms and legs• 9 weeks - hand to face• 10 weeks - fingers• 27 weeks - “breathe”• 28 weeks - sucking & swallowing• 33 weeks - coordinate breathing with sucking andswallowingMotor Development• Reflex - tightly organized inborn behavior thatoccur in response to particular stimulation:– Palmar Grasp (gone by 6 months)– Babinski or Plantar grasp (12 months)– Sucking (2 months)– Rooting (4 months)– Fencing or Tonic neck reflex (4 months)– Moro or Startle reflex (2 months)– Stepping reflex (2-4 months)2Motor MilestonesReaching• First 3-4 months - clumsy swiping (Pre-reaching movements).• 3-4 months - successful (though jerky)reaching• 7 months - smooth controlled reaching.(nathan’s video)Self-locomotion• 6-8 months - “belly crawling”, idiosyncraticself-propulsion• 8 months - hands and knees crawling• 13-14 months - walking• Role of experience– Navigating slopes– Visual
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