Gross motor skill
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Gross motor skills are the abilities usually acquired during
Types of motor skills
Motor skills are movements and actions of the muscles. Typically, they are categorized into two groups: gross motor skills and
Development of posture
Gross motor skills, as well as many other activities, require postural control. Infants need to control the heads to stabilize their gaze and to track moving objects. They also must have strength and balance in their legs to walk.[1] Newborn infants cannot voluntarily control their
Learning to walk
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Walking upright requires being able to stand up and balance position from one foot to the other. Although infants usually learn to walk around the time of their first birthday, the neural pathways that control the leg alternation component of walking are in place from a very early age, possibly even at birth or before. This is shown because 1- to 2-month-olds are given support with their feet in contact with a motorized treadmill, they show well-coordinated, alternating steps. If it were not for the problem of switching balance from one foot to the other, babies could walk earlier. Tests were performed on crawling and walking babies where slopes were placed in front of the path and the babies had to decide whether or not it was safe. The tests proved that babies who just learned how to walk did not know what they were capable of and often went down slopes that were not safe, whereas experienced walkers knew what they could do. Practice has a big part to do with teaching a child how to walk.[1] Vision does not have an effect on muscle growth but it could slow down the child's process of learning to walk. According to the nonprofit Blind Children Center, "Without special training, fully capable infants who are visually impaired may not learn to crawl or walk at an appropriate age and gross and fine motor skills will not properly develop." When the child is not able to see an object then there is no motivation for the child to try to reach for it. Therefore, they do not want to learn independently. Learning to walk is done by modeling others and watching them. Children when put in environments with older children will observe and try and copy the movements done. This helps the child learn through trial and error. The babies will imitate others, picking up the skills a lot faster than creating their own errors. Visually impaired children may need physical therapy to help them learn these gross motor skills faster. One hour of therapy each week is not enough so parents have to make sure they are involved in this process. The parent can help by telling the baby the direction of where the object is and encourage them to get it. You must have patience because every child has their own developmental schedule and it is even truer for the children with special needs. Focusing on the progress of your child is better than focusing on comparing your child to other children. (Humphrey) [citation needed]
Infancy development
It has been observed by scientists that motor skills generally develop from the center to the body outward and head to tail. Babies need to practice their skills; therefore they will grow and strengthen better. They need space and time to explore in their environment and use their muscles. "Tummy-time" is a good example of this. At first they are only able to lay their belly on the floor but by around two months they start to gain muscle to raise their head and chest off the ground. Some are also able to go on their elbows. They will also start to kick and bend their legs while lying there, this helps to prepare for crawling. By four months they are able to start to control their head and hold it steady while sitting up. Rolling from belly to back movements is started. At about five months the baby will start to wiggle their limbs to strengthen crawling muscles. Infants can start to sit up by themselves and put some weight on their legs as they hold onto something for support by six months. As they enter their first-year caregivers needs to be more active. The babies will want to get into everything so the house needs to become 'baby proofed'. Babies are able to start to reach and play with their toys too. It is said that the use of baby walkers or devices that help to hold the baby upright are said to delay the process of walking. Research has been found that it delays developing the core torso strength, which can lead to different issues down in their future. Around ten months they should be able to stand on their own. Throughout their years of life different motor skills are formed. (Oswalt) With regards to the gait pattern, study shows that infant at 12 months old exhibit larger mediolateral motion, which may be caused by weak muscle strength and lack of stability. They also show a synchronized use of hip and shoulder while they are walking, which is different from a mature gait pattern performed by adults. The ankles didn't move as much among 12-month infants as compared to that of adults performing a mature walking.[3]
Development in the second year
Development in the second year of life, toddlers become more motorically skilled and mobile.
They are no longer content with being in a playpen and want to move all over the place.
Child development experts believe that motor activity during the second year is vital to the child's competent development and that few restrictions, except for safety, should be placed on their motoric adventures.[1] By 13 to 18 months, toddlers can move up and down steps and carry toys. Once they reach the top of the
stairs though, they are not able to get back down. They also begin to move from one position to another more smoothly. (Oswalt) Significant changes in gait patterns are also observed in the second year. Infants in the second year have a discordant use of hip and shoulder while walking, which is closer to an adult walking pattern. They are also able to utilize the range of motion of their ankles, toes, and heels more, which is similar to a mature walk.
Development of children with disabilities
Children with disabilities who are as young as seven months can learn to drive a power wheelchair. This will give specific benefits to the leg, is paralyzed.[citation needed]
This chair may decrease the rate of development of the child's gross motor skills, but there are ways to compensate for this. These children usually work with a physical therapist to help with their leg movements. Walkers and other devices are used to help aide this process and avoid obstacles. The negative side to this is that they are limited in their mobility. There is research out to find a device to encourage children to explore their environment while gaining their gross motor skills. This will also hopefully help them with their exercise.[2]
A 2017 Cochrane review found that for children with delays associated with cerebral palsy or Down Syndrome up to the age of six the use of a treadmill may accelerate the development of independent walking.[5]
Childhood
Early childhood is a critical period for the development of fundamental motor skills. Children in
At 3 years of age, children enjoy simple movements, such as hopping, jumping, and running back and forth, just for the sheer delight of performing these activities. However, the findings in the article "The relationship between fine and gross motor ability, self-perceptions and self-worth in children and adolescents" it stated that there was not a statistical significance in athletic competence and social competence. This correlation coefficient was .368 and simply means that there is a low correlation between those two relationships. A child being able to perform certain gross and fine motor skills does not mean that they will have the ability to demonstrate social skills such as conversation, social awareness, sensitivity, and body language.[6] This Their body stability is focused on the child's dynamic body base and is related to their visual perceptions such as height, depth, or width.[1] A study was done to assess motor skill development and the overall rate and level of growth development. This study shows that at the preschool age children develop more goal-directed behaviors. This plays a big role, because their learning focuses around play and physical activity. While assessing the gross motor skills in children can be challenging, it is essential to do so in order to ensure that children are prepared to interact with the environment they live in. Different tests are given to these children to measure their skill level.[7]
At age 4, children continue to do the same actions as they did at age 3, but further their moving. They are beginning to be able to go down the stairs with one foot on each step. At 5 years of age, they are fully able to go down the stairs one foot at a time in addition to improvements in their balance and running. Their body stability becomes more mature and their trunk is fixed on their posture. Performances are more fluent and are less influenced by factors such a slope and width. During middle and late
Adolescence and adulthood
Between the ages of 7 and 12 there is an increase in running speed and are able to skip. Jumping is also acquired better and there is an increase in throwing and kicking. They're able to bat and dribble a ball. (Age) Gross motor skills usually continue improving during
See also
References
- ^ OCLC 171151508.
- ^ S2CID 2003162.
- ^ a b Yaguramaki, N., & Kimura, T. (2002). Acquirement of stability and mobility in infant gait. Gait & Posture, 16(1), 69.
- .
- PMID 28755534.
- ^ http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/19686138.
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(help)[dead link] - ^ PMID 21532999.
Further reading
- Spittle, AJ.; Doyle, LW.; Boyd, RN. (Apr 2008). "A systematic review of the clinimetric properties of neuromotor assessments for preterm infants during the first year of life". Dev Med Child Neurol. 50 (4): 254–66. S2CID 18931308.
- Seidler RD, Bernard JA, Burutolu TB, et al. (April 2010). "Motor control and aging: links to age-related brain structural, functional, and biochemical effects". Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 34 (5): 721–33. PMID 19850077.
- Cools, W.; Martelaer, KD.; Samaey, C.; Andries, C. (2009). "Movement Skill Assessment of Typically Developing Preschool Children: A Review of Seven Movement Skill Assessment Tools". J Sports Sci Med. 8 (2): 154–168. PMID 24149522.