T11 - Motor Development

Question 1

What are motor skills?

Why do we have reflexes?

What happens as we grow?

Answer 1

Motor skills = body movements, learning to walk etc.

Why?

• to keep us alive
• prepare us for life

As we grow:
- most disappear within 6 months.

Question 2

How do reflexes pave the way for voluntary movement?

In what sequence do motor skills develop?

Answer 2

Theory 1: reflexes must be inhibited first…
Theory 2: reflexes provide the basis for voluntary movement..
- Milestones: Significant developmental events, landmarks indicating developmental progress.

Sequence of motor development:

• Two general trends in the sequence of motor skill development:
  1. Cephalocaudal principle (upper parts of body become usable before
  2. Proximodistal principle (closes to the centre)

Motor skills typically become increasing complex and refined: - Reaching

• Grasping
• Ulnar grasp: fist grabbing
• Pincer grasp: thumb four fingers/tweezers

Question 3

What factors influence motor skills in childhood?

Answer 3

1. Neural development:
   - Myelination (neurons send messages quicker)
   - Sensory maturation – receiving processing messages
2. Physical/physiological development:
   - Changing body proportions
   - Increases in muscular strength and body size
3. Practice opportunities

Question 4

What are gross motor skills?

What are fine motor skills?

Sequence of drawing

Answer 4

Gross motor skills: involve large muscles of the body (such as the arms and legs) and include
walking, jumping, throwing a ball etc.

Fine motor skills: involve coordination of small muscles in finely tuned movements such as picking up small objects, drawing, using eating utensils.

Stages of drawing:
stage 1 - scribbling
- 2 years

Stage 2 - pre-schematic stage

• 3-5 years
• discover drawn symbol can represent something
• at 4-5 tell stories or work out problems with drawings

Stage 3 - Schematic stage

• 6-8 years
• Represents the child’s knowledge of the subjects

Stage 4 - The gang stage - drawing realism

• 8-10 years
• Schematic generalisation no longer suffices to express reality.
• concerned with how things really look

Question 5

Cognitive, neurological and sensory influences on motor development:

Answer 5

Cognitive skills: mental processes such as perception, memory, judgement and reasoning.
 Cognitive skills are related to:
 Biological maturity
 Social experience and learning (all of which affect motor development as we have seen in prior
lectures)
 We need cognitive skills in order to explore our world.

Neurological skills: arise from the nerves and the nervous system.
 E.g. Reflexes
 Neurological functioning also required for cognitive and sensory processes too (which in turn
are necessary for motor development)

Sensory skills: particularly seeing, hearing, touch.
 In order to move in the world we need to be able to sense it.
 Sensory skills also necessary for cognitive functioning.

Question 6

What is Developmental Dyspraxia?

Answer 6

Developmental dyspraxia: A chronic disorder of marked impairment in execution of motor skills.