Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 14, 2026
Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
Published on: May 17, 2024
Follow-up of the child's motor abilities in day-care centers and pre-schools
Magda Andrade Rezende1, Vivian César Beteli, Jair Lício Ferreira dos Santos
1University of São Paulo, School of Nursing. marezend@yahoo.com.br
Insights
Day-care attendance positively impacted children's motor skill development, with significant improvements noted in both gross and fine motor areas over two years. Younger children, aged 2-3, showed poorer results in gross motor skills.
Area of Science:
- Child Development
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Early childhood development is crucial for long-term outcomes.
- Day-care centers play a potential role in child development.
- Understanding developmental trajectories in urban settings is important.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess developmental screening test results in preschool children.
- To investigate the impact of day-care attendance on motor skill development.
- To form hypotheses regarding developmental influences.
Main Methods:
- Developmental screening was conducted using the Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST).
- Thirty children from three day-care centers in São Paulo were evaluated thrice over two years.
- Statistical analyses included Tests of the Signs and Fisher's Exact test.
Main Results:
- Significant improvement was observed in gross motor skills from the 1st to 3rd evaluation (p=0.038).
- Fine motor skills showed significant improvement between the 1st and 2nd evaluations (p=0.031).
- A correlation was found between younger age (2-3 years) and poorer gross motor outcomes (p=0.013).
Conclusions:
- Attending day-care centers appears to enhance the development of motor abilities in children.
- Further research is needed to differentiate the specific contributions of day-care versus family environment.
- Developmental screening provides valuable insights into early childhood progress.
Abstract:
The aim was to describe the results of a developmental screening test in a cohort of 30 children attending 3 day-care centers in the city of São Paulo and develop hypotheses about these results. Thirty children were evaluated three times, during two years, by using the DDST. In the gross motor area the results improved (Tests of the Signs, 1st to the 3rd evaluation, p= 0.038*). There was a relationship between the age of the child (2 to 3 years) and worst results (Fisher's Exact test, p= 0.013*). In the fine motor area the results improved (Tests of the Signs, 1st to the 2nd evaluation, p= 0.031*). So, the development of motor abilities improved after the children started attending the day-care centers. We must undertake more researches in order to attribute the specific influences of each area: day-care center and/or family.
