The motor development of the human being.
Spontaneous motor activity and postural reflex reactivity should be distinguished in the motor development of a human being. The central nervous system plays the main role in motor development. Motor development in early infancy (up to 6 month of age) is based on postural static primary reflexes, which assure a stable supine position. The next stages in development, during the second half of the infant's first year, involve the appearance of statokinetic extension reflexes, which enable the infant to change position from crawling on four limbs to standing on two. The complex and active balance reflexes that enable further motor development, so that a five-year-old-child is able to perform all the motor activities of an adult, are formed between 18 and 24 months of age. Careful observations of the infant's psycho-motor skills make it possible to detect disturbances early and apply the proper therapy.
Knapczyk
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Katedra i Klinika Rehabilitacji, Akademia Medyczna, Poznań