What Object Permanence Means Object permanence refers to the understanding that an object or person continues to exist when it cannot currently be seen, heard, or touched. For an infant, this is a major shift from responding primarily to immediate…

What hand preference means in infancy Hand preference, or laterality, refers to a tendency to use one hand more often or more effectively for a particular task. In older children and adults, this may be obvious across writing, throwing, eating,…

What Memory Means in an Infant Memory is not one single ability. It includes several related processes: encoding information, retaining it, and retrieving it later. In infancy, researchers commonly distinguish recognition memory, recall, working memory, and procedural or implicit learning.Recognition…

What bilateral coordination means Bilateral coordination is the ability to use the two sides of the body together, either in similar ways or in complementary roles. A baby may stabilize a soft block with one hand while exploring it with…

Balance Begins Before Upright Postures Balance control develops long before a baby pulls to stand. During early infancy, the developing brain and spinal cord gradually learn to coordinate head position, trunk stability, and limb movement against gravity. Tummy time and…

Muscle control is a neuromuscular achievement At birth, a baby has muscles, but the neural control of those muscles is immature. Muscle contraction depends on signals traveling from the brain and spinal cord through motor nerves to neuromuscular junctions, where…

What Core Strength Means in Infancy In infancy, core strength refers to the coordinated activity of muscles and connective tissues around the trunk, pelvis, spine, and shoulder girdle. It is not simply the ability to produce force. Effective postural control…

The usual timeline for head lifting Newborns generally have limited voluntary neck control. Their head is relatively large compared with the rest of the body, and the cervical muscles and postural control systems are immature. When held, a newborn’s head…

What Body Awareness Means in Infancy Body awareness is a broad neurodevelopmental capacity rather than a single milestone. It includes interoceptive information about internal bodily states, proprioceptive information about joint position and muscle activity, vestibular information about head movement and…

Movement begins with the nervous system and the senses Newborn movement is strongly influenced by the nervous system's early organization. Primitive reflexes, such as the rooting, grasp, and stepping reflexes, are automatic responses that support early survival and provide the…