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Trajectories of serial motor scores of typically developing children: Implications for clinical decision making
Johanna Darrah1, Ambikaipakan Senthilselvan, Joyce Magill-Evans
1Department of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. johanna.darrah@ualberta.ca
Insights
This study tracked fine motor (FM) and gross motor (GM) development in children. Findings show developmental trajectories vary, supporting continuous developmental surveillance over single assessments for accurate monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Biostatistics
Background:
- Childhood motor development is crucial for overall health and well-being.
- Understanding typical fine motor (FM) and gross motor (GM) development is essential for early identification of potential delays.
- Existing research often relies on cross-sectional data, limiting insights into individual developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To generate predicted percentile score trajectories for FM and GM skills in typically developing children.
- To compare motor development trajectories during the infant and preschool years.
- To inform healthcare providers about expected patterns in motor skill development.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study design utilizing data from 83 children.
- Nine assessment points between 9-21 months and 4-5.5 years.
- Multi-level modeling with non-linear and linear equations to fit percentile rank scores over time.
Main Results:
- Non-linear equations best predicted infant FM and GM percentile scores.
- Preschool GM scores were best predicted by non-linear equations, while FM scores were best predicted by linear equations.
- Within-subject variability in motor scores decreased during the preschool years; girls generally exhibited higher FM scores than boys.
Conclusions:
- Motor development trajectories are dynamic and vary across different developmental periods.
- Developmental surveillance, which involves ongoing monitoring, is more informative than single-point assessments for tracking child development.
- Healthcare providers should anticipate score fluctuations as a normal aspect of typical motor development.
Abstract:
This longitudinal study generated predicted fine motor (FM) and gross motor (GM) percentile score trajectories for typically developing children during infant and preschool years and compared the trajectories. Data from the same 83 children at 9 assessment points between 9 and 21 months and 4 to 5(1/2) years were used in multi-level models. Non-linear equations provided the best fit for predicting percentile rank scores over time for the infant data. For preschool data, the best fit for GM data remained non-linear while the FM data was best represented by a linear equation. Within-subject variability decreased in the preschool years. On average, girls had higher FM scores than boys in both age ranges. The results support the concept of developmental surveillance rather than single point assessments. Health care providers who practice developmental surveillance need to be aware that fluctuations in scoring patterns can be expected in typical development.
