Related Experiment Video

Updated: Nov 5, 2025

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
09:24

Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable

Published on: May 17, 2024

1.8K

Birth month and infant gross motor development: Results from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS)

Kahoko Yasumitsu-Lovell1,2, Lucy Thompson1,3, Elisabeth Fernell1

  • 1Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Plos One
|May 20, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Infants born in summer months showed poorer gross motor development at 6 and 12 months. Seasonal factors during early pregnancy may influence these developmental outcomes in children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Environmental Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Previous studies on birth month and neurodevelopmental disorders yielded inconsistent results.
  • Understanding seasonal influences on early child development is crucial for identifying potential risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between birth month and gross motor development in infants.
  • To analyze developmental outcomes at 6 and 12 months of age within a large Japanese cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized data from the Japan Environment and Children's Study (JECS) cohort (n=72,203).
  • Assessed gross motor development using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ-3) at 6 and 12 months.
  • Analyzed the association between birth month and ASQ-3 scores, including adjusted Relative Risk (aRR).

Main Results:

  • A significant association was found between birth month and gross motor development at both 6 and 12 months.
  • Infants born in summer months (August, June) exhibited the poorest gross motor development outcomes.
  • Boys generally demonstrated better gross motor development scores than girls at both time points.

Conclusions:

  • Birth month is a significant factor associated with gross motor development in early childhood.
  • Seasonal influences, potentially maternal vitamin D deficiency or influenza during pregnancy, may impact fetal development.
  • Findings highlight the importance of considering seasonal variations in early developmental assessments.

More Related Videos

Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task11:18

Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task

Published on: June 1, 2015

10.9K
A Battery of Motor Tests in a Neonatal Mouse Model of Cerebral Palsy10:02

A Battery of Motor Tests in a Neonatal Mouse Model of Cerebral Palsy

Published on: November 3, 2016

24.9K

Related Concept Videos

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
1.1K
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
214
Three Developmental Domains01:29

Three Developmental Domains

Human development is typically examined across three main domains: physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional. These domains represent the significant areas of change and continuity throughout the lifespan, from infancy to late adulthood.
Physical Development
Physical processes, also known as maturation, encompass the biological changes that occur across an individual's life. These changes begin with genetic inheritance and continue through various stages, including growth in height and weight,...
667
Introduction to Developmental Psychology01:27

Introduction to Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology explores the changes and continuities in human abilities throughout life, encompassing physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social dimensions. Human development is not restricted to growth, but includes aspects of decline, particularly in physical abilities as individuals age. Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people change as they age and how their mental and social skills evolve.Developmental MilestonesA key concept in developmental psychology is...
854
Language Development01:22

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
598
The Nativist Approach01:21

The Nativist Approach

The nativist approach to infant cognitive development proposes that infants are born with inherent knowledge structures that allow them to interpret the world almost immediately. This perspective contrasts with earlier developmental theories, such as those proposed by Jean Piaget, which emphasized a more gradual acquisition of cognitive abilities through interaction with the environment. One key concept in this approach is object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to...
224