Gross Motor Development

Geroderma osteodysplastica (GO) is a subtype of cutis laxa syndrome characterized by congenital wrinkly skin, a prematurely aged face, extremely short stature, and osteoporosis leading to recurrent fractures. GO exhibits an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern and is caused by loss-of-function mutations in GORAB, which encodes a protein important for Golgi-related transport. Using whole exome sequencing, we identified novel compound heterozygous nonsense mutations in the GORAB in a GO patient. The patient was a 14-year-old Japanese boy...

Objective. Compare developmental outcomes in infants treated with morphine versus methadone. Method. Retrospective chart review of newborns identified through use of ICD-9 code for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Thirty-six infants were evaluated-17 treated with methadone and 19 treated with morphine. Assessment was completed following treatment using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III). Scores in Cognitive, Language, and Motor domains were compared. Results. Comparison of scores between morphine- and methadone-treated groups revealed differences in mean Cognitive Composite (91...

INTRODUCTION: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) participate in leisure-time physical activities (PA) less often, with less intensity and reduced diversity than their typically developing peers. Participation in leisure-time physical activities may be an important source of habitual physical activity (HPA) for children with CP, who as a group have lower levels of HPA and increased sedentary time compared with their typically developing peers. The proposed study aims to compare the efficacy of a participation focused therapy (ParticiPAte CP) to usual care in a pragmatic, randomised waitlist controlled trial...

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effects of lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) on children's Hb, linear growth and development, compared with supplementation with micronutrient powder (MNP). DESIGN: The study was a two-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial, where participants received either LNS or MNP for daily consumption during 6 months. Supplements were delivered by staff at government-run health centres. Hb, anthropometric, motor development, language development and problem-solving indicators were measured by trained research assistants when children were 12 months of age...

The ketogenic diet (KD) is a medically supervised, high fat, low carbohydrate and restricted protein diet which has been used successfully in patients with refractory epilepsy. Only one published report has explored its effect on the skeleton. We postulated that the KD impairs skeletal health parameters in patients on the KD. Patients commenced on the KD were enrolled in a prospective, longitudinal study, with monitoring of Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) derived bone parameters including bone mineral content and density (BMD)...

CONTEXT: Although effective health and nutrition interventions for reducing child mortality and morbidity exist, direct evidence of effects on cognitive, motor, and psychosocial development is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To review existing evidence for health and nutrition interventions affecting direct measures of (and pathways to) early child development. DATA SOURCES: Reviews and recent overviews of interventions across the continuum of care and component studies...

Decabromodiphenyl ether (decaBDE) is an applied brominated flame retardant that is widely-used in electronic equipment. After decades of use, decaBDE and other members of its polybrominated diphenyl ether class have become globally-distributed environmental contaminants that can be measured in the atmosphere, water bodies, wildlife, food staples and human breastmilk. Although it has been banned in Europe and voluntarily withdrawn from the U.S. market, it is still used in Asian countries. Evidence from epidemiological and animal studies indicate that decaBDE exposure targets brain development and produces behavioral impairments...

BACKGROUND: The field of serious games for people with dementia (PwD) is mostly driven by game-design principals typically applied to games created by and for younger individuals. Little has been done developing serious games to help PwD maintain cognition and to support functionality. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to create a theory-based serious game for PwD, with input from a multi-disciplinary team familiar with aging, dementia, and gaming theory, as well as direct input from end users (the iterative process)...

OBJECTIVE: We examined the effect of a comprehensive school physical activity program (CSPAP) on gross motor skills in children. METHODS: Participants were 959 children (1st-6th grade; Mean age = 9.1 ± 1.5 years; 406 girls, 553 boys) recruited from 5 low-income schools receiving a year-long CSPAP intervention. Data were collected at the beginning of the school year and at a 36-week follow-up. Gross motor skills were assessed using the Test for Gross Motor Development (3rd ed...

BACKGROUND: Cerebral palsy, a spectrum of neuromuscular conditions caused by abnormal brain development or early damage to the brain, is the most common cause of childhood physical disability. Lumbosacral dorsal rhizotomy is a neurosurgical procedure that permanently decreases spasticity and is always followed by physical therapy. The objectives of this health technology assessment were to evaluate the clinical effectiveness, safety, cost effectiveness, and family perspectives of dorsal rhizotomy...

BACKGROUND: Delayed motor development may occur in children with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, general developmental delay or children born preterm. It limits the child's exploration of the environment and can hinder cognitive and social-emotional development. Literature suggests that task-specific training, such as locomotor treadmill training, facilitates motor development. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of treadmill interventions on locomotor development in children with delayed ambulation or in pre-ambulatory children (or both), who are under six years of age and who are at risk for neuromotor delay...

AIMS: This article describes a qualitative study aimed at producing child-centered guidelines for the administration of a measure of children's advanced gross motor skills, the Challenge. The purpose of the guidelines is to promote collaborative interpretation and application of results. METHODS: The study was conducted in three Canadian cities and included 31 children with cerebral palsy (GMFCS Level I or II) ages 8 to 18 and one parent/caregiver per child (N = 62 participants)...

Stress system activity in early life can have long-term effects on neurodevelopment. The main aim of this study was to assess the association of child evening salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase basal levels at 14months of age with longer-term neuropsychological development at 4years in a low-risk population-based birth cohort derived from the INMA (Environment and Childhood) project in Spain. We included 186 parent-children pairs with information on both stress system activity and neurodevelopment. Both stress markers at 14months of age showed an association with neuropsychological development at 4years...

BACKGROUND: Individuals with Cerebral Palsy (CP) present with sensorimotor dysfunction which make the control and execution of movements difficult. This study aimed to verify the speed-accuracy trade-off in individuals with CP. METHODS: Forty eight individuals with CP and 48 with typical development (TD) were evaluated (32 females and 64 males with a mean age of 15.02 ± 6.37 years: minimum 7 and maximum 30 years). Participants performed the "Fitts' Reciprocal Aiming Task v...

Preliminary evidence suggests that intensive voice and speech treatment based on activity-dependent neuroplasticity principles holds promise for affecting positive change in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and motor speech disorders. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) allows researchers to make inferences about the integrity of white matter tracks and provides a sensitive measure of neuroplasticity. Previous treatment studies looking at the effects of training on white matter integrity have shown positive results, but these studies have been limited to gross motor function...

BACKGROUND: Although it is estimated that half of all children with cerebral palsy also have comorbid intellectual disability, the domains of quality of life (QOL) important for these children are not well understood. The aim of this study was to identify important domains of QOL for these children and adolescents. METHODS: Due to the children's communication impairments, qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 18 parents. The children (9 males) had a median age of 12 (range 7 to 17) years at interview and nearly two thirds were classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System IV or V...

Pediatrician carry out the surveillance of language in preschool children as one of the components of child development (language, fine and gross motor skills, etc.). However, language is more than that. The process of transformation of the magic meaning on the word present in the initial stages of human evolution (Myth period) into a new, symbolic meaning as representative of the object (Logos period) took around 40,000 years. With the mastering of language, man was capable of thinking; from then onwards, these two functions, thought and language, became inextricably linked, the evolved hand in hand...

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a Japanese version of the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS), and examine the criterion validity and intra-rater reliability of the FMS in Japan. METHODS: The translation of the FMS was performed according to international standards for the translation of measurements. For criterion validity, 111 children with cerebral palsy (mean age; 12year 1mo±3year 7mo; range 5-18) were rated the Japanese version of the FMS and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS)...

The kinesin family proteins are often studied as prototypical molecular motors; a deeper understanding of them can illuminate regulation of intracellular transport. It is typically assumed that they function identically. Here we find that this assumption of homogeneous function appears incorrect: variation among motors' velocities in vivo and in vitro is larger than the stochastic variation expected for an ensemble of 'identical" motors. When moving on microtubules, slow and fast motors are persistently slow, and fast, respectively...

The basal ganglia are a collection of nuclei below the cortical surface that are involved in both motor and non-motor functions, including higher order cognition, social interactions, speech, and repetitive behaviors. Motor development milestones that are delayed in autism such as gross motor, fine motor and walking can aid in early diagnosis of autism. Neuropathology and neuroimaging findings in autism cases revealed volumetric changes and altered cell density in select basal ganglia nuclei. Interestingly, in autism, both the basal ganglia and the cerebellum are impacted both in their motor and non-motor domains and recently, found to be connected via the pons through a short disynaptic pathway...