Minor neurological dysfunction and quality of movement in relation to neonatal cerebral damage and subsequent development.

Minor neurological dysfunction (MND) and quality of movement were studied in relation to neonatal cerebral damage and developmental assessments at 3 1/2 years of age in 66 very low-birthweight children without obvious disability. MND was found in 19 children and was significantly related to the quality of movement. The results demonstrate that MND is associated with neonatal cerebral damage at preschool-age, but that the assessment of quality of movement is associated with more complex sensory motor tasks and simultaneous processing. At preschool-age, quality of movement might therefore be a better marker of later learning problems than traditional signs of minor neurological dysfunction.

Neurological development during toddling age in normal children and children at risk of developmental disorders.

Toddling age (1.5-4 years) is a period in which the quality rather than the quantity of motor functions changes. We examined 305 normal and 43 so called 'risk' children with an examination technique which concentrates on observations of motor functions (grasping, sitting, crawling, standing and walking) in a standardized free field situation. Examples of the changes during toddling age are presented such as the decrease of yoke movements (i.e. shoulder movements during reaching), the increase of trunk motility, of variability of speed during crawling, narrowing of gait width, and an increased ability to avoid objects on the floor and to show maneuverability during walking. All changes occurred in the normal children between the ages of 2 and 3 years. They reflect a 'transformation' of neural functions. Many of the 'risk' children show qualitatively different motor behaviour, which is interpreted as non-optimal and which can be an early sign of neurological impairment. The transformation in neural functions is discussed in terms of neuroanatomical changes during toddling age.

The development of crawling between 18 months and four years.

Various quantitative and qualitative aspects of crawling were analysed in small groups of carefully selected normal toddlers of 1 1/2, two, 2 1/2, three, 3 1/2 and four years of age in a cross-sectional design. Between two and three years of age, major changes occurred in all observed aspects, resulting in differentiated, adaptive and efficient crawling. It is proposed that these changes are based on so-called adaptive variability, an age-related developmental process which seems to be a prerequisite for the development of cognition.