Toys and Other Household Items Affect Baby's Motor Skill Development

by Dr. Trupti Shirole on June 7, 2015 at 5:40 AM

Toys, appliances, sofa and coffee table- your baby is actually learning from all these household items. These items can significantly impact the way a baby first crawls, walks or achieves other growth milestones, but many parents are unaware of it, revealed a new study by University of Texas at Arlington researchers.

Priscila Cacola, 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 three to 18 months. Cacola says that the questionnaire can aid in the evaluation of toys and other items in the home known as home affordances. Called the 'Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-Infant Scale', or AHEMD-IS, it is now being used by physical and occupational therapists worldwide.

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Cacola said, "The tool could help parents better assess items for motor skill development or help infants do something like learning to walk. When parents buy toys, they are rarely thinking 'I wonder if this is going to be great for my child's motor skills', but if they look at each AHEMD-IS question and each separation of the question, they can choose to buy toys that are different or that offer different opportunities for their infants. Parents, doctors or other infant caregivers might ask 'What does a toy or a coffee table do?' Well, depending on the space between the couch and the coffee table, it could be the first distance that the child wants to cross."

Cacola added, "If a toy is cranked and pops up, the child might want to go grab it, which could lead the child to walking. But the challenge is the thing that stimulates that child to begin walking. The AHEMD-IS would be especially important when you consider infants that are premature, low birth-weight or have a condition that could impair motor skill development. Developing a child's motor skills is extremely important because motor development is actually the mediator of cognitive, social and emotional development. Good motor skills predict a whole lot later in life, so it might be something that all of us should be concerned about early in a child's life."

The study was published in Physical Therapy.

Source: Medindia

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