Studies of infant motor development in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have increased in recent years. This article synthesized this literature through meta-analysis to assess (a) whether infant motor ability differs in ASD relative to neurotypical controls; and (b) whether motor ability and communication are related in infants with ASD. Study 1…

The current study examines the developmental trajectory of banging movements and its implications for tool use development. Twenty (6- to 15-month-old) infants wore reflective markers while banging a handled cube; movements were recorded at 240 Hz. Results indicated that through the second half-year, banging movements undergo developmental changes…

The present study investigates the contribution of 2 mechanisms to imitation in infancy. The principle of rational action suggests that infants normatively evaluate the efficiency of observed actions. In contrast, it has been proposed that motor resonance (i.e., the mapping of others' actions onto one's own motor repertoire) plays a central role…

Found that infants who were delivered with their head turned right exhibited a neonatal right supine head orientation and a right-hand preference in visually guided reaching tasks at 19 weeks of age. Contrary to prediction, infants delivered with their head turned left did not exhibit a left-sided preference in either neonatal head position or…

Examined the relationship of newborns' 1-minute Apgar scores to their 8-month Bayley mental and motor scores and to 8-month classifications of their development as normal, suspect, or abnormal. Also investigated relationships between Apgar scores and race, longevity, and birth weight. (JMB)

Studies were designed to test the prediction that spatial search strategies in infants may be influenced by locomotor experience. The pattern of findings suggests that infants with efficient modes of locomotion are more likely than others to profit from the experiences generated by locomotion. (RJC)

The development of the ability to extend the hand across the body midline to contact a visually presented object was examined in 48 normal, full-term, 9- to 20-week-old infants. One of the infant's arms was restrained while the behavior of the contralateral, unrestrained arm was observed. (JMB)

This study examined the relationship of crossing the midline while reaching for objects to the development of bimanual reaching among infants ages 12, 18, and 26 weeks. Findings indicated that the frequency of two-hand grabbing and the number of midline reaches increased with age; most midline reaches were part of two-handed reaches and occurred…

Longitudinal study of patterns of gross motor development in congenitally blind infants indicated that neuromuscular maturation and postural achievements were similar to those of sighted infants, but that self-initiated mobility and locomotion were delayed. (ST)

Thirty infants were studied monthly between one and four months to determine how long cyclical motor activity (CM) persists beyond neonatal period. Although rate and irregularity of CM during active sleep and waking states did not change across these four months, there was a pronounced drop in the strength of CM in the waking state from two months…

Weekly observations of 4 infants in a standard arm-extended reaching task demonstrated that the infants first reached at ages ranging from 12 to 22 weeks. Results suggest that the infant central nervous system does not contain programs that detail hand trajectory or muscle activation patterns; rather, these patterns are the consequence of the…

Studied head position preference in 20 newborns differing by Cesarean or vaginal delivery and sex. Found that neither factor accounted for differences. The head turned right more often and was maintained longer in this position during quiet wakefulness, regardless of scoring method. When using global scoring, duration of midline position was…

Examined the role of perceptual-motor development in a typical Stage IV task. The performance of ten infants was compared on a Stage IV object permanence task when a cloth cover was used and when a small card cover was used. (JMB)