Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 19, 2025
Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
Published on: May 17, 2024
Relationships between Gross Motor Abilities and Sensory Processing in Children Aged 18 to 36 Months
Eri Takahashi1, Osamu Nitta2, Kenji Takaki3
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Tohoku Fukushi University, Japan.
Insights
Gross motor abilities in toddlers are linked to sensory processing, particularly oral sensory input. Children with higher oral sensory responsiveness showed lower gross motor skills.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Occupational Therapy
Background:
- Sensory processing is crucial for development.
- Gross motor skills are foundational for childhood activities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the connection between gross motor abilities and sensory processing in children aged 18–36 months.
- To identify specific sensory processing patterns associated with gross motor development.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) for gross motor assessment.
- Employed the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP) to evaluate sensory processing.
- Analyzed data from 48 typically developing children aged 18–36 months using Pearson's correlation.
Main Results:
- A significant relationship was observed between gross motor abilities and sensory processing.
- Children exhibiting heightened responsiveness to oral sensory input demonstrated gross motor abilities below age expectations.
Conclusions:
- Gross motor skills are associated with sensory processing in young children.
- Oral sensory processing appears to be a key factor influencing gross motor development in toddlers.
Objective:
We investigated the relationship between gross motor abilities and sensory processing in typically developing children.
Method:
Participants included children aged 18 to 36 months (N = 48). All participants were full-term infants. We assessed gross motor abilities based on the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), and sensory processing characteristics based on the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP). The gross motor ability index was calculated using GMFM score which was estimated from the age. Pearson's product moment correlation coefficients were used to examine the relationships between the gross motor ability indexes and ITSP section scores.
Results:
Our findings showed that gross motor ability may be related to oral sensory processing. The children who were more responsive to oral sensory processing tended to exhibit gross motor abilities below the standard for that age.
Conclusion:
Gross motor abilities were related with sensory processing, especially oral sensory processing, in children aged 18 to 36 months.
Related Concept Videos
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
Exploration...
01:11Sensory Perception: Organization of the Somatosensory System
The receptor level:
The receptor level is the first stage of sensation. It involves the detection of a stimulus by specialized sensory receptors. The stimulus must arrive within the receptor's receptive field. Next, the receptor converts the energy of the...
01:14Motor and Sensory Areas of the Cortex
Motor Areas
The motor areas located in the frontal lobe are central to controlling voluntary movements. This region is further subdivided into the primary motor cortex and the premotor cortex....
01:28Major Somatic Sensory Pathways