Reaching and grasping movements in infants at risk: a review.
Early reaching tests lacked shared rules, so results could not build into solid guidance.
01Research in Context
What this study did
de Campos et al. (2009) looked at 11 papers from 1980 to 2008. They asked how babies with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, or prematurity reach and grab toys.
The team compared how each paper measured the same baby moves. They found no two teams used the same rules, toys, or cameras.
What they found
Every study said the babies moved differently, but the numbers did not match. Some counted hand speed, others counted shoulder angle, and a few just watched.
Because the rules kept changing, no one could tell parents what to expect next.
How this fits with other research
Visicato et al. (2015) later narrowed the field to cerebral palsy only. They added smoothness and timing scores, showing the 2009 mess could be cleaned up with clear metrics.
Sun et al. (2024) did the same for autism, pooling 43 studies and proving slower, wobblier reaches stay true across labs.
Bard-Pondarré et al. (2023) tried a quick fix—wrist bracelets—but the gadgets did not track real hand skills. Their flop supports the 2009 call for better tools, not just new toys.
Why it matters
You now know the field spent 30 years measuring the same skill in different ways. When you assess an at-risk baby, pick one published protocol and stick with it. Share your data sheet so the next BCBA can compare apples to apples.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although the influence of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on the development of reaching and grasping skills in typical infants has been extensively described in the literature, the effect of such factors on at-risk infants is still poorly understood. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to analyze the scientific publications, from 1980 to 2008, about factors influencing reaching and grasping movements in infants at risk and to describe methodological procedures used in the studies under review. A bibliographical review on empirical studies indexed on Medline, Lilacs and Science Direct data bases was done, using as keywords the terms: "reaching movements", "grasping", "catching", "prehension", "infants", "children", "risk", "deficit", "impairment" and "delay". 127 articles were identified, and 11 were selected. The following risk conditions were assessed in the papers: prematurity, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, intrauterine cocaine exposure and agenesis of corpus callosum. Methodological issues as well as the intrinsic and extrinsic factors manipulated in the experiments are discussed in the light of changes in theoretical approach to motor behavior.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2009 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2009.01.004