Home environment opportunities and motor development of infants in the first year

Abstract

Introduction: The home environment is a fundamental agent for infant development in the first year of life. Objective: To evaluate the opportunities for environmental stimulation and the motor development of infants at 3, 6, 9, and 12 months of age and determine the association between these opportunities and the parents’ schooling and economic levels, at each age studied. Methods: This is a longitudinal study using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) to assess motor development, the Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development - Infant Scale (AHEMD-IS) questionnaire to assess the stimulation opportunities at home, and the Brazilian Association of Research Companies (ABEP) questionnaire to classify the economic level of the families. The association between opportunities for environmental stimulation and schooling and economic levels was determined by the chi-squared test. Results: Thirty-seven infants participated, 54.1% of whom were boys. At 3 months of age, the opportunities for environmental stimulation were unsatisfactory, while at 6, 9, and 12 months satisfactory opportunities predominated. Three infants scored below 10% on the AIMS at 3 months of age, indicating delayed motor development. There was a significant association between economic level and total AHEMD-IS score (p = 0.031), and the toy dimension for gross (p = 0.016) and fine (p = 0.043) motor skills. Conclusion: The infants’ home environment did not provide sufficient opportunities for stimulation in the first months, but improved during the first year. Motor development was considered delayed for three infants, but was suitable in subsequent evaluations.

Impacts of COVID-19 on Neuropsychomotor Development From the Perspective of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in a Case Series of Children Aged 4 to 24 Months Assessed in Land and Aquatic Settings

“…6 Thus, family contexts are pointed out as the main external factor capable of potentializing NPMD because they are the first environment (and perhaps the only 1 during the pandemic) experienced by children. 28 The sample characterization showed that few children attended school full time, which agrees with findings in the literature. Due to the pandemic in Brazil, the Ministry of Education canceled in-person activities in public and private schools.…”

“… 6 Thus, family contexts are pointed out as the main external factor capable of potentializing NPMD because they are the first environment (and perhaps the only 1 during the pandemic) experienced by children. 28 …”

Vamos brincar em casa? Orientações a comunidade sobre formas de estimular bebês no primeiro ano de vida

“…Os aspectos físicos, psicossociais e cognitivos, ainda que vistos separadamente sob o ponto de vista teórico, estão interrelacionados e são influenciados uns pelos outros 5 . Cada bebê que nasce não faz parte de um contexto vazio, mas sim de um ambiente familiar que influenciará na formação deste sujeito em desenvolvimento 3,6 . Assim, a qualidade do cuidado nos aspectos físico e afetivo-social decorre de condições estáveis de vida 7 .…”