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The Effect of a Parent-Directed Program to Improve Infants' Motor Skills
Marlene Rosager Lund Pedersen1, Bjarne Ibsen1, Danae Dinkel2
1Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense, Denmark.
Insights
A parent-directed program to boost infant motor skills showed no significant improvement in children aged 9-11 months. Early intervention is crucial, but this specific program did not impact motor development outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Poor motor skills can impede children's developmental progress.
- Early intervention programs are vital for promoting optimal child development.
- Parental involvement is key in fostering infant motor skill acquisition, particularly within the first year of life.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of a parent-directed program designed to enhance infant motor development.
- To investigate the impact of guided parental activities on infant motor skill acquisition in a Scandinavian setting.
Main Methods:
- A parent-directed intervention program was implemented, providing parents with guidance, activity videos, and materials.
- The study involved two Danish municipalities: one intervention group and one control group.
- Infant motor skills were assessed for age-appropriateness between 9-11 months using logistic regression analysis.
Main Results:
- No statistically significant difference was observed in the proportion of children exhibiting age-appropriate motor skills between the intervention and control groups.
- The parent-directed program did not lead to measurable improvements in infant motor development outcomes at 9-11 months of age.
Conclusions:
- The tested parent-directed program, focused on guided play and encouragement of motor development, did not demonstrate a positive effect on infants' age-appropriate motor skills.
- Further research may be needed to explore alternative or modified parent-directed strategies for promoting infant motor development effectively.
Abstract:
Poor motor skills are associated with several factors that might delay children's development. Therefore, early programs to promote a child's motor development are essential. Within the first year of life, parents have a critical role in promoting their infant's motor development. However, little research has explored parent-directed programs that promote infant development in a Scandinavian context. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a parent-directed program to improve infant motor development.
Methods:
Parents of infants received a parent-directed program that included guidance from health visitors on ways to promote motor development, videos with motor development activities and a bag with related materials. Two municipalities in Denmark took part in the study (one intervention, one control). Health visitors in both municipalities measured the infants' age-appropriate motor skills once when the infants were between 9-11 months of age. A logistic regression model was used to analyze the data.
Results:
No difference was detected in motor development over time in the two municipalities regarding the proportion of children with age-appropriate motor skills.
Conclusions:
A parent-directed program in which parents were guided to play and encourage motor development with their infant showed no effect on infants' age-appropriate motor skills at 9-11 months.
