Spontaneous Leg Movements of Infants with down Syndrome and Nondisabled Infants

Abstract

Infants with Down syndrome (DS) represent a population in which new behaviors are acquired significantly more slowly than in nondisabled infants. We propose that infants' spontaneous movements hold a key to understanding the process of development--of integrating intrinsic dynamics and function. In this investigation, we compared the spontaneous leg movements of 10 infants with DS and 2 groups of nondisabled (ND) infants matched for chronological age and motor age. In contrast to common perceptions, we did not observe a significant difference in the frequency of movements between infants with DS and ND infants. But, infants with DS demonstrated significantly fewer of the most complex patterned leg movements, that is, kicking patterns. Further, the frequency with which both DS and ND infants kicked was significantly correlated with the age at which they began to walk. Biomechanical variables were identified, as well, that related to their emergent movement patterns. These data are consistent with Edelman's proposal that spontaneous movements that occur repeatedly in regions of the organism's functional work space facilitate the development of stable behavioral patterns and emphasize the role of the interaction of multiple subsystems in the emergence of new behaviors.

The shape of disposable diaper affects spontaneous movements of lower limbs in young infants

“…It is difficult to directly compare the results of these studies with our research. However, previous studies showed that the quantity of kicking movements in infancy was related to the age at which infants began to walk 3,6 , and indicated that there was less exploratory behavior of legs in infants at risk of developmental delay compared to infants with typical development 8 . The difference between diaper type in the amount (the velocity) and range (the trajectory area of knee movements in sagittal plane) of lower limb movements in the supine position in early infancy shown in this study may possibly affect walking characteristics.…”

“…Ulrich et al . 3 and Smith et al . 6 showed that the quantity of kicking movements in infancy was related to the age at which they began to walk.…”

“…Human fetuses and infants generate a variety of spontaneous movements and behaviors in early infancy 1,2 . These have attracted researchers’ attention and have been examined over recent years, because sensory-motor experience based on spontaneous movements and behaviors (such as non-object-oriented exploratory behaviors infants perform with their bodies) is considered important for early perceptual-motor development 3–9 . Ulrich et al .…”

The relationship between reduplicated babble onset and laterality biases in infant rhythmic arm movements

“…Kicking may begin as an oscillatory behavior that is a product of the developing motor system; but then become adapted to meet specific task demands (e.g., Angulo-Kinzler & Horn, 2001;Angulo-Kinzler, Ulrich, & Thelen, 2002;Thelen, 1994) and lead infants to learn about the consequences of self-produced movement (e.g., Rovee-Collier, 1991). In other words, kicking provides infants with opportunities to gain control over the limbs and patterns of limb coordination and to learn about properties of the effectors (the legs) and relationships between self-produced movements and features of the environment that will be required for the acquisition of controlled behavior in later walking (Ulrich & Ulrich, 1995).…”

Using Wearable Sensor Technology to Measure Motion Complexity in Infants at High Familial Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Conversely, dysfunctional motor development can have a negative cascading effect on cognition, spatial and physical perception, and appropriate development of higher-level motor abilities such as coordination and balance [6,7,[9][10][11]. There are several neurodevelopmental disorders that have associated findings of gross motor dysfunction, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and intellectual disability [12][13][14][15][16][17]. In ASD, motor dysfunction has been posited to be one of the earliest signs of risk for later diagnosis [18,19].…”