Motor Skills Function

Early Infant Motor Skills and Muscle Development Assessment

Detection of Early Gender-related Posture, Movement, and Muscle Changes to Help Provide Earlier Diagnosis of Developmental Disorders

PI: Dorothy Jenkins; Co-Investigators: Patty Coker-Bolt & Noelle Moreau

The primary aim of this pilot project is to determine the earliest time period when quantifiable, abnormal motor and muscle developmental patterns can be detected. It will produce preliminary normative data on differences in motor skill acquisition and muscle development of the gastrocnemius muscle at different gestational ages and between infants at high and low risk for developing Cerebral Palsy. Infants who score at-risk on tests of infant motor performance at term will be further tested using MRS/DTI brain imaging to determine the relationship between delays in motor skills and specific neurobiological changes.