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Published on: May 3, 2018
Crawl Position Depends on Specific Earlier Motor Skills
Ewa Gajewska1, Jerzy Moczko2, Mariusz Naczk3
1Department of Developmental Neurology, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-355 Poznan, Poland.
Insights
Early motor skill assessment in infants is crucial. Proper 3-month-old pelvic positioning predicts crawling by 7 months, impacting future development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric physiotherapy
- Infant motor development
- Developmental pediatrics
Background:
- Early detection of motor disturbances is vital for timely intervention.
- A unified method for assessing and initiating therapy for motor delays is lacking.
- Understanding early motor milestones aids in predicting later developmental achievements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the correlation between qualitative motor development assessment at 3 months and achieving the crawl position by 7 months.
- To identify key early indicators of motor development relevant to achieving the crawl milestone.
- To investigate the impact of early motor patterns on subsequent motor acquisition.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study involving 135 infants (66 female).
- Physiotherapeutic and neurological assessments conducted at 3, 7, and 9 months of age.
- Infants categorized based on attainment of the crawl position by 7 months.
Main Results:
- Infants not achieving the crawl position at 7 months showed deficits in distal motor skills at 3 months.
- Adequate pelvic positioning at 3 months was a significant predictor of achieving the crawl position at 7 months.
- Failure to achieve the crawl position by 7 months was associated with delays in further motor development.
Conclusions:
- Proximal-distal motor development is a prerequisite for assuming the crawl position.
- Early supine positioning assessment at 3 months showed a stronger association with achieving the crawl position than prone assessment.
- Early qualitative motor assessment can identify infants at risk for delayed motor milestones, guiding therapeutic strategies.
Abstract:
Early assessment of motor performance should allow not only the detection of disturbances but also create a starting point for the therapy. Unfortunately, a commonly recognised method that should combine these two aspects is still missing. The aim of the study is to analyse the relationship between the qualitative assessment of motor development at the age of 3 months and the acquisition of the crawl position in the 7th month of life. A total of 135 children were enrolled (66 females). The analysis was based on physiotherapeutic and neurological assessment and was performed in the 3rd, 7th and 9th months of life in children, who were classified according to whether they attained the crawl position or not in the 7th month. Children who did not attain the crawl position in the 7th month did not show distal elements of motor performance at the age of 3 months and thus achieved a lower sum in the qualitative assessment. Proper position of the pelvis at the age of 3 months proved to be very important for the achievement of the proper crawl position at the 7th month. Failure to attain the crawl position in the 7th month delays further motor development. The proximal-distal development must be achieved before a child is able to assume the crawl position. Supine position in the 3rd month seemed more strongly related to achieving the crawl position than assessment in the prone position.
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