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Object Permanence and the Relationship to Sitting Development in Infants With Motor Delays

Mihee An1, Emily C Marcinowski, Lin-Ya Hsu

  • 1Kaya University, Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, Republic of Korea (Dr An); Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana (Dr Marcinowski); University of Washington, Seattle, Washington (Drs Hsu and McCoy); Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Drs Stankus and Harbourne and Mr Jancart); University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware (Dr Lobo); University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California (Dr Dusing); University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Nebraska (Dr Bovaird); University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska (Dr Willett).

Pediatric Physical Therapy : the Official Publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy Association
|June 2, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Infants with motor delays (MD) show delayed object permanence development compared to typical development (TD). However, object permanence understanding improves over time and with improved sitting skills in infants with MD.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental psychology
  • Pediatric motor development

Background:

  • Object permanence is a key cognitive milestone in infancy.
  • Motor delays can impact cognitive development in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare object permanence development in infants with motor delays (MD) versus typical development (TD).
  • To investigate the relationship between object permanence and sitting skill in infants with MD.

Main Methods:

  • Developed the Object Permanence Scale (OPS) for assessment.
  • Assessed 56 infants with MD and 36 infants with TD over 6 months.
  • Utilized Gross Motor Function Measure sitting subsection (GMFM-SS) and Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd Edition (Bayley-III).

Main Results:

  • The OPS demonstrated excellent interrater reliability.
  • A moderate positive correlation was found between OPS and Bayley-III cognitive scores.
  • Infants with MD were delayed in object permanence compared to TD infants but showed improvement over time and with enhanced sitting skills.

Conclusions:

  • Object permanence development in infants with motor delays emerges in conjunction with the development of sitting skills.
Abstract

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