Saturday

Upper Extremity Development: Reach

Newborn

  • Random Arm Movements
  • Reflexive hand-to-mouth contact in side lying

1-2 Months
  • Random arm movements in wider ranges
  • Asymmetrical swiping at 2.5 months

3-5 Months
  • Voluntary swiping and reaching
  • Range of reach varies with position and degree of support
  • Beings to reach forward
  • Bilateral reaching pattern
  • Strong hand-to-mouth pattern

6 Months
  • In prone (on tummy) can weight shift and reach with control
  • Continues to use bilateral reach in sitting, supine (on back), and side lying
  • Unilateral reach emerging as pelvic and hip control develop
  • Consistent visually directed reach

7-9 Months
  • Arms are free for bilateral play
  • Reaches further in all directions due to increasing postural tone
  • Uses arms to move body into higher positions in gravity

Taken from Normal Development of Functional Motor Skills: The First Year of Life by R. Alexander, R. Boehme, B. Cupps

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is SO interesting. I will print it and add it to my "collections". Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Great resource.