Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 9, 2025
Quantifying Learning in Young Infants: Tracking Leg Actions During a Discovery-learning Task
Published on: June 1, 2015
Motivating Selective Motor Control of Infants at High Risk of Cerebral Palsy Using an In-Home Kicking-Activated
Barbara Sargent1, Kathryn L Havens1, Masayoshi Kubo2
1Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Insights
Infants at high risk of cerebral palsy (CP) showed improved selective hip-knee control when learning to activate a mobile with leg movements. This kicking-activated mobile task may enhance motor control in infants at high risk for CP.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric neurology
- Developmental motor control
- Infant neurorehabilitation
Background:
- Selective motor control is crucial for gait function in children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP).
- Infants at high risk of CP exhibit reduced selective motor control as early as one month of age.
- Early intervention is key to optimizing motor development and future walking ability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if infants at high risk of CP and typically developing (TD) infants show enhanced selective hip-knee control during a kicking-activated mobile task.
- To compare motor control during periods of demonstrated learning versus non-learning of the mobile-leg movement association.
- To assess the potential of an in-home task to motivate improved leg movements in at-risk infants.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study involving 10 infants at high risk of CP and 11 TD infants (3.5–4.5 months old).
- Participants engaged in an in-home kicking-activated mobile task for 8–10 minutes daily, 5 days a week, over 6 weeks.
- Over 80,000 kicks were analyzed, classified by learning (mobile activation) versus non-learning intervals.
Main Results:
- Infants at high risk of CP demonstrated significantly more selective hip-knee control during learning intervals for 4 out of 6 weeks.
- TD infants showed increased selective hip-knee control during learning intervals for 2 out of 6 weeks.
- The kicking-activated mobile task appears to promote more controlled leg movements in at-risk infants.
Conclusions:
- The in-home kicking-activated mobile task shows promise in motivating improved selective hip-knee control in infants at high risk of CP.
- This study represents an initial step towards developing interventions aimed at enhancing motor control and optimizing gait function in infants at high risk of CP.
- Further research can build upon these findings to create targeted therapies for early motor development.
Objective:
Decreased selective motor control limits gait function of children with spastic cerebral palsy (CP). Infants at high risk of CP demonstrate decreased selective motor control by 1 month of age. To motivate more selective hip-knee control, infants at high risk of CP participated in an in-home kicking-activated mobile task. The purpose of this study was to determine whether infants at high risk of CP and infants with typical development (TD) demonstrated increased selective hip-knee control during 2-minute intervals of the mobile task when they demonstrated learning of the association between their leg movement and mobile activation vs during 2-minute intervals when they did not demonstrate learning.
Methods:
Participants in this cohort study included 10 infants at high risk of CP based on neuroimaging and 11 infants with TD at 3.5 to 4.5 months of age. Each infant participated in the in-home kicking-activated mobile task for 8 to 10 min/d, 5 d/wk, for 6 weeks. Over 80,000 kicks were extracted and classified for each infant as occurring during 2-minute intervals of the task when the infant demonstrated learning vs not learning based on mobile activation time above baseline.
Results:
Infants demonstrated kicks with more selective hip-knee control during 2-minute intervals of the mobile task when they demonstrated learning compared with when they did not demonstrate learning for 4 of 6 weeks in the cohort at high risk of CP and for 2 of 6 weeks in the cohort with TD.
Conclusion:
Participation in the in-home kicking-activated mobile task may motivate more selective hip-knee control of infants at high risk of CP.
Impact:
This study is a first step toward developing an intervention to promote selective hip-knee control of infants at high risk of CP, with the ultimate goal of optimizing future walking function.
Lay Summary:
This study showed that playing with an in-home infant kicking-activated mobile may motivate infants at high risk of CP to produce more age-appropriate leg movements.
