Household Items Key to Infant Motor Development

10th June, 2015

12 June 2015, Fine Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skills, Newsletter

[Source: Medical News Today]
kinesiology
Toys, appliances, and even a sofa and coffee table can impact when or the way a baby first crawls, walks or achieves other growth milestones, but a new UT Arlington study finds that many parents are unaware of the significant role household items play in their infant’s motor skill development.
Priscila Caçola, an assistant professor of kinesiology in the UT Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation, co-developed a simple questionnaire for caregivers of infants aged 3 to 18 months that she says can aid in the evaluation of toys and other items in the home known as home affordances.
The study, called “Further Development and Validation of the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS),” appears in a recent issue of the journal Physical Therapy.
The questionnaire is called the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale, or AHEMD-IS, and is now being used by physical and occupational therapists worldwide. Caçola said the tool could help parents better assess items for motor skill development or help infants do something like learning to walk.
Read the Rest of this Article on Medical News Today

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