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Walking onset: a poor predictor for motor and cognitive skills in healthy preschool children
Nadine Messerli-Bürgy1,2, Tanja H Kakebeeke3,4, Andrea H Meyer5,6
1Department of Psychology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland. nadine.messerli@unifr.ch.
Insights
Late walking onset in preschool children is linked to poorer motor and cognitive skills. Early monitoring during pediatric visits is recommended for children with delayed walking milestones.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
- Motor Development
Background:
- Walking onset is a proposed indicator of early childhood development, but evidence is inconsistent.
- Limited data exists on the relationship between walking onset and development during the preschool years.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the onset of walking and motor and cognitive development in preschool-aged children.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 555 children (mean age 3.86 years) from the Swiss Preschoolers' Health Study (SPLASHY).
- Children underwent standardized assessments of motor and cognitive skills at baseline and one year later.
- Parental reports provided data on the child's walking onset.
Main Results:
- Late walking onset correlated with diminished fine motor skills, static and dynamic balance (p < 0.003).
- Children with late walking onset also exhibited poorer selective attention (p = 0.02) and visual perception (p = 0.001).
Conclusions:
- Delayed walking in preschool children is associated with deficits in both motor and cognitive domains.
- Close developmental monitoring is advised for children experiencing late walking onset during routine pediatric care.
Background:
The onset of walking is thought to be an indicator of early development. However, evidence is mixed and clear data on this relationship at preschool age is missing. The study aimed at investigating if walking onset and motor and cognitive development in preschool children are related.
Methods:
A total of 555 children (mean age 3.86 years) of the Swiss Preschoolers' Health Study SPLASHY were tested twice at their childcare center (at baseline and one year later). Motor skills and cognitive skills were assessed by standardized testing procedures and parents were asked to provide information on walking onset of their child.
Results:
Late onset of walking was related to poorer motor skills (fine motor skills, static and dynamic balance (all p < 0.003)) and poorer cognitive skills (selective attention and visual perception (p = 0.02; p = 0.001) in late preschool age.
Conclusions:
For children with late walking onset a close monitoring of their development in the regular pediatric child health visits may be reasonable.
Trial Registration:
ISRCTN41045021 .
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