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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
Development of postural control in typically developing children and children with cerebral palsy: possibilities for
Victorine B de Graaf-Peters1, Cornill H Blauw-Hospers, Tineke Dirks
1Department Neurology and Developmental Neurology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Infants develop direction-specific postural control early. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) show delays in adapting this control, but interventions may help improve postural development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Motor control
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Postural control is active from infancy, with direction-specific adjustments developing early.
- The capacity for postural adaptation to environmental constraints emerges around 3 months.
- Adult-level postural adaptation is achieved only after adolescence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine postural control development in infants and children.
- To investigate the impact of cerebral palsy (CP) on postural control development.
- To explore the potential of interventions for improving postural control.
Main Methods:
- Observational studies on infant postural adjustments.
- Comparative analysis of postural control in typically developing children and children with CP.
- Review of intervention studies focusing on active trial-and-error learning.
Main Results:
- Typically developing infants demonstrate direction-specific postural adjustments.
- Children with CP exhibit delayed development in recruiting these adjustments, especially under mild postural challenges.
- Difficulties in adapting direction-specific postural activity are common in children with CP.
Conclusions:
- Early development of postural control is evident in infants.
- Cerebral palsy significantly impacts the development and adaptation of postural control.
- Interventions promoting active experience may enhance postural development and control in infants and children at risk.
Abstract:
The basic level of postural control is functionally active from early infancy onwards: young infants possess a repertoire of direction-specific postural adjustments. Whether or not direction-specific adjustments are used depends on the child's age and the nature of the postural task. The second level of control emerges after 3 months: children start to develop the capacity to adapt postural activity to environmental constraints. But the adult form of postural adaptation first emerges after adolescence. Children with cerebral palsy (CP) in general have the ability to generate direction-specific adjustments, but they show a delayed development in the capacity to recruit direction-specific adjustments in tasks with a mild postural challenge. Children with CP virtually always have difficulties in the adaptation of direction-specific activity. The limited data available on the effect of intervention on postural development suggest that intervention involving active trial and error experience may accelerate postural development in typically developing infants and may improve postural control in children with or at high risk for a developmental motor disorder.
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