A double-blind randomized controlled trial of n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 LCPUFA) supplementation or matching placebo during third trimester of pregnancy was conducted within the COPSAC[subscript 2010] mother-child cohort consisting of 736 women and their children. The objective was to determine if maternal n-3 LCPUFA pregnancy…

The number and timing of stressors experienced during pregnancy were investigated using longitudinal data from the Western Australian Pregnancy (Raine) Study cohort (N = 2,900). Motor development data were collected at 10 (n = 1,622), 14 (n = 1,584), and 17 (n = 1,222) years using the McCarron Assessment of Neuromuscular Development. Linear mixed…

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…

A theory of infant skill acquisition was supported by observations, over a six-week period, of the bouncing activity of eight infants while they were supported in a harness assembly. Observed three stages of activity: an initial assembly stage, when movement was irregular and variable in period; a tuning phase of more periodic movement; a final…

Factor structures of various eye-hand coordination tasks were examined for children, ages 4-1/2 to 8-1/2. Theoretical models of skilled action development are discussed. (ST)

Using a dynamic systems approach, examined the development of intralimb coordination over the first year of independent walking in three infants. Found that, in the first month of walking, there was much instability between the thigh and shank of the leg, but after three months infants appeared to have found an adult-like stable coordinative…

Examined longitudinally the effects of infants' age, body dimensions, and experience on the development of crawling. Although most infants displayed multiple crawling postures en route to walking, development did not adhere to a strict progression of obligatory, discrete stages. Duration of experience with earlier forms of crawling predicted the…

Studied across a 16-month period, young children of deaf parents showed accelerated early language development, on the average producing their first recognizable sign at 8.5 months, their tenth sign at 13.2 months, and their first sign combination at 17.0 months. Findings are inconsistent with previously reported patterns of synchrony between…

The behavioral development of rural Guatemalan infants was assessed shortly after birth on a Neonatal Assessment Scale (NAS) and at 6-, 15-, and 24-months-of-age on a Composite Infant Scale (CIS). Summary variables based on NAS performance poorly predicted later assessed performance even as recently as six months after birth. The CIS modestly…

Examined children's developmental trajectories in five domains. Children were assigned to same- or mixed-age child care groups and assessed at 6-month intervals between approximately 32 and 49 months. Children in the two groups differed in their trajectories for communication, cognitive, and motor development but showed similar trajectories for…

Examined frequency with which children were exposed to various parental actions, materials, events, and conditions as part of their home environments, and how these exposures related to well-being. Found the most consistent relations between learning stimulation and children's developmental status, with relations for parental responsiveness and…

Used kinematic measures to compare relative contributions of growing body dimensions, age, and walking experience in walking skill development in 9- to 17-month-olds, kindergartners, and college students. Found that with increased age, size, and experience, children's steps became longer, narrower, straighter, and more consistent, reflecting a…