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Motor development in infancy is related to cognitive function at 4 years of age

Kirsten R Heineman1,2, Pamela Schendelaar1, Edwin R Van den Heuvel3

  • 1Division of Developmental Neurology, Department of Paediatrics, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|April 11, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Infant motor development, particularly variation and performance, is linked to cognitive function at age four. Lower motor scores in infancy correlate with reduced IQ scores later in childhood.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Child Development Studies

Background:

  • Growing evidence suggests a strong interrelation between motor skills and cognitive development.
  • Understanding these early developmental links is crucial for identifying potential developmental trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between infant motor development and cognitive function at four years of age.
  • To determine if specific aspects of early motor behavior predict later cognitive abilities.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 223 children born after assisted reproductive techniques.
  • Motor behavior assessed using the Infant Motor Profile (IMP) at 4, 10, and 18 months.
  • Cognitive function evaluated at 4 years using the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC-II).
  • Latent class growth modeling employed to analyze relationships between motor and cognitive scores.

Main Results:

  • Infants with lower overall IMP scores demonstrated an 8.9-point lower IQ at age four compared to peers with typical scores.
  • Specifically, low scores in motor variation and performance were associated with significantly lower IQs (6.1 and 13.2 points, respectively).

Conclusions:

  • Early motor development in infancy is directly associated with cognitive function at four years of age.
  • The findings highlight motor variation and performance as key predictors of later cognitive abilities.
  • The observed differences in IQ are considered clinically relevant, underscoring the importance of early motor assessment.
Abstract

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