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Infant Reaching in the First Year of Life: A Scoping Review of Typical Development and Examples of Atypical
Judy Zhou1, Beth A Smith2,3
1Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Insights
This study reviewed infant reaching assessments, finding common kinematic variables but inconsistent methods. Standardizing these methods is crucial for understanding typical and atypical infant reaching development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental motor control
- Infant motor development
Background:
- Infant reaching is a key developmental milestone.
- Understanding typical reaching development is essential for identifying potential delays or impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify common kinematic variables used in infant reaching assessments.
- Describe these variables in infants during the first year of life.
- Highlight methodological inconsistencies and research gaps.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of studies assessing infant reaching.
- Inclusion criteria: any position, typical development, infants <1 year, successful reaches with object contact.
- Focus on kinematic variables of reaching.
Main Results:
- Six kinematic variables were commonly assessed: frequency, duration, movement units, peak velocity, average velocity, and straightness index.
- Significant methodological inconsistencies across studies hinder interpretation of reaching variable values.
- Knowledge gaps exist in standardized assessment protocols.
Conclusions:
- Standardizing study designs and data analysis is necessary to establish normative reference standards for reaching development.
- A normative reference standard will aid in assessing both typical and atypical infant reaching development.
- Future research should focus on resolving methodological inconsistencies.
Aims:
Our objective was to identify the most common variables used for infant reaching assessment, describe values of these variables across the first year of life, and identify methodological considerations and knowledge gaps for future research.
Methods:
Studies were included if they met the following criteria: (1) assessed infant reaching in any position, (2) included a sample of infants with typical development: healthy, full-term, with no known impairments, (3) infants were under one year old at the first data collection, and (4) counted successful reaches resulting in object contact.
Results:
We identified 6 commonly assessed kinematic reaching variables: frequency, duration, movement units, peak velocity, average velocity, and straightness index. Methodological inconsistencies limit our ability to interpret values of these variables across studies.
Conclusions:
Eliminating inconsistencies in study design and data analysis methods is the next step to defining a normative reference standard for reaching development. Establishing a normative reference standard for reaching in the first year of life will be important for assessment of typical and atypical reaching development.
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