Sensorimotor organization in reach and prehension: a development model.
A model is presented to depict the organization of the reflex, visual, voluntary motor, and perceptual-cognitive systems in the development of reach and prehension during the first year of life. Five components of hand skills are identified based upon a review of infant scales and observational studies, and the sequential occurrence of behaviors leading to the development of these components is graphically presented. These sequences are juxtaposed to enable the reader to view the temporal relationship of the systems at various stages in the development of reach and prehension in the infant. Items in the models are operationally defined. An explanation is included to clarify the nature and the sequence of events involved in the culmination of mature hand skills. The model should be useful in the identification, analysis, and remediation of deficits in reach and prehension often noted in children with developmental disabilities.
D002657:Child Development; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006225:Hand / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008954:Models, Biological; D009048:Motor Skills; D012018:Reflex; D014796:Visual Perception