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Measurement and Analysis of Human Infant Crawling for Rehabilitation: A Narrative Review
Qi L Xiong1,2, Xiao Y Wu2, Yuan Liu3
1Key Laboratory of Nondestructive Testing, Ministry of Education, Nanchang Hangkong University, Nanchang, China.
Insights
Objective infant crawling analysis aids early detection of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. This review explores measurement techniques to bridge research and clinical applications for motor development assessment and intervention.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Early diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) impairment is crucial for infants exhibiting potential motor developmental disorders.
- Infant crawling is a key indicator of early CNS-controlled mobility and is used in clinical assessments, but current methods are subjective.
- Objective and quantitative measures of infant crawling are needed for accurate identification of developmental disorders and to track intervention progress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide a comprehensive review of objective measurement and analysis techniques for infant crawling.
- To bridge the gap between research findings in infant crawling analysis and potential clinical applications.
- To discuss the potential of crawling training as an early intervention for infants with delayed locomotor function.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on infant crawling measurement techniques.
- Analysis of data acquisition methods, including sensors and motion capture.
- Examination of data processing and feature extraction methods relevant to motor function assessment.
Main Results:
- Identification of various objective measurement techniques for infant crawling.
- Discussion of the potential value of these techniques in objectively assessing infant motor function.
- Exploration of the application of crawling analysis in identifying infants needing early intervention.
Conclusions:
- Objective measurement of infant crawling offers a promising avenue for early detection of motor developmental disorders.
- Standardized methods for data acquisition, processing, and feature extraction are essential for clinical translation.
- Crawling analysis can inform the development of targeted early interventions to improve locomotor function in infants.
Abstract:
When a child shows signs of potential motor developmental disorders, early diagnosis of central nervous system (CNS) impairment is beneficial. Known as the first CNS-controlled mobility for most of infants, mobility during crawling usually has been used in clinical assessments to identify motor development disorders. The current clinical scales of motor development during crawling stage are relatively subjective. Objective and quantitative measures of infant crawling afford the possibilities to identify those infants who might benefit from early intervention, as well as the evaluation of intervention progress. Thus, increasing researchers have explored objective measurements of infant crawling in typical and atypical developing infants. However, there is a lack of comprehensive review on infant-crawling measurement and analysis toward bridging the gap between research crawling analysis and potential clinical applications. In this narrative review, we provide a practical overview of the most relevant measurements in human infant crawling, including acquisition techniques, data processing methods, features extraction, and the potential value in objective assessment of motor function in infancy; meanwhile, the possibilities to develop crawling training as early intervention to promote the locomotor function for infants with locomotor delays are also discussed.
