Perceptual-Motor Abilities of Infants in the 1 to 2 Month Period

Original Editor - Robin Tacchetti based on the course by Pam Versfeld
Top Contributors - Robin Tacchetti, Tarina van der Stockt, Jess Bell, Kim Jackson, Ewa Jaraczewska and Jorge Rodríguez Palomino

Introduction

During the 1-2 month old stage, infants gain various new skills using their perceptual-motor abilities. Perception involves understanding, categorising and translating sensory information. Example of perceptual ability would include:

• recognising:
  • familiar face vs. non-familiar faces
  • the voice of a family member
• distinguishing:
  • height of an object
  • color of an object
  • depth of an object

Motor abilities refers to the infant's capacity to control their body movements. Motor abilities encompasses all movements of the body including, waving, kicking, reaching, grasping, etc. Perceptual and motor abilities are collaborative as infants will use their perceptual skills to decide on the correct motor action to undertake.

Initially infants perceptual-motor behaviour is spontaneous. As they move towards the 2 month period, infants move transition from spontaneous movement to intentional movements. During this period of development you can expect to see the following:

• movements shift from writhing to fidgety
• greater head control and movements allowing increased ability to visually reach and gather information
• turning towards sounds and visual events within their environment
• exploring their bodies, clothing and surrounding surfaces with their hands and feet
• successful and intentional reaching

Communication and Social Interaction

Newborns in the 1-2 month period will begin to demonstrate more complex, sustained and expressive social behaviours. Some of the communication and social developments you might notice on a 1-2 month old are bulleted below:

• first smiles
• turning head toward voice and other sounds within the environment
• quietening their limbs movements
• smile in response to sounds

• interest in faces
• recognising familiar faces
• eye contact
• different cries for different needs
• producing pre-speech sounds known as protophones which includes grunts, coos, and gurgles

Caregiver Interaction

Interaction between caregiver-infant requires clear cues from both infant and caregiver to facilitate responses to each other. Taking cues from one another allows the the infant and caregiver to change or adapt their behaviours in response to the interaction. This mutual interactive environment teaches the infant communication and social interaction.

Caregiver Speech

Caregivers speak to infants in a language called motherese or baby talk. This type of infant directed speech allows adults to alter their acoustic properties to use a higher pitch, increased pitch range and variability and a slower speech rate. Research shows that these vocal adjustments happen across all populations.

Infant Vocalisation

To practice and explore sounds, infants will spontaneously vocalise producing a range of sounds. Infants can alter these sounds by changing their emotional tone or inflexion. These different sounds will provide the foundation for later babbling and words. Pre-speech sounds such as grunts, squeals and coos are referred to as protophones. Full vowels, raspberries, yells, and whispters can be heard around 2-3 months old.

Mirroring

Caregivers will often "mirror" or imitate newborns facial expressions, jaw and lip movements and vocalisations allowing the infant to hear and see copies of their own activity.These parental responses are both instinctive and functionally important as they help the infant increase their social communication skills.

** Infant begin to recognise familiar faces and smile at them between 1-2 months old.

• • Watch this video by ReachOutandRead to see how caregiver and infant communicate:

General Movements

Within the 1-2 month period, infants transition from generalised writhing movements to fidgety movements. Writing movements are characterised by complex whole body movements including the arm, leg, trunk and neck in variable arrangements. These movements vary in range of motion, speed and intensity and have a gradual onset and end. Writhing movements wax and wane and give the appearance of being fluid and graceful. Around 9 weeks, fidgety movement replace writhing and will dissipate around 16-20 weeks old. The movements are characterised by small movements of moderate speed with variable acceleration of the legs, neck and trunk in all directions.

Supine

supine-ATNR noted

Young infants generally hold their head rotated to one side when lying supine. When the head moves into rotation, the asymmetrical tonic neck reflex (ATNR) might occur although non-obligatory in addition to some neck extension. By the end of 2 months old, infants can hold their head in midline when lying supine and easily turn to either side to explore their environment. Infants can then track an object from side to midline, but not across midline. They can also track an object in the downwards direction.

Prone

prone playing

Infants 1-2 months old lying in prone can briefly lift their heads up. Their feet remain in dorsiflexion increasing as they flex their hips and knees and decreasing as they extend their lower extremities. Kicking can be seen in prone position with either unilateral or bilateral lower extremities. Unilateral kicking presents with a lateral weight shift in weight bearing and a lateral flexion of the trunk.

Rolling

Many infants do not like being placed in prone and quickly get upset and roll from prone to supine. Rolling is initiated in one of two ways: (rolling onto left side)

• lifting the head
• extending the thoracic spine
• extending the hips and knees
• shift center of mass caudally
• retracts right shoulder
  

  rolling prone-supine
• flexes right hip
• falls onto back

or

• lifting the head
• push down with right hand
• extend elbow
• extend thoracic spine
• center of mass shift caudally
• falls onto back

** this second way has no associated hip extension- hips remain flexed throughout

Weight bearing through the hands in prone is seen at the end of the 1-2 month period. Extension of the hips is seen with thoracic and head extension. The knee movement does not always couple the hip allowing disassociation and freedom for each joint.

Watch this video by BabyPillars for ideas on how to encourage rolling from prone to supine:

Reaching and Grasping

Infants 1-2 months old will reach for a toy by making large swiping motions with their elbow and fingers extended. Their hands predominately do not make contact with the object. As they move through this period, extension of the fingers becomes less pronounced and small shoulder and elbow movements help facilitate grasping the toy. Around 10-12 weeks old, the infant's ability to steady the head and trunk while moving their upper extremities becomes more consistent allowing them to reach for fixed or suspended toys. Reaching at this point becomes more goal directed. Flexion and extension of the fingers are often seen as infants interact with various surfaces they encounter. Exploring toys with their hands and fingers permits them to learn about the behaviour, structure and texture of an object.

Kicking

unilateral kicking

Infants 1-2 months old have a physiological flexor stiffness at the knees and hips. By 10 weeks, the infant will gain full lower extremity range of motion and be able to extend the hip and knee with an associated anterior pelvic tilt. Single or alternating leg kicking can be seen during this time with the hip and knee motions coupled. The feet will will occasionally push down on a surface providing lateral trunk weight shift with trunk and head extension. The feet will demonstrate increased plantarflexion during this time as well.

Pull to Sit

pull to sit

Infants can pull to sit keeping their head in line with their trunk when they are 1-2 months old. As they anticipate being pulled up, they can activate their trunk and neck flexor muscles while stiffening their hips and upper extremities. Once upright, these infants are able to move their head to gaze at the person lifting them.

Sitting

Infants 1-2 months old will need support in sitting. Trunk support in sitting displays the following characteristics:

sitting with hip support

• head falling forward
• brief period of scapular retraction
• increased flexion of the elbows
• forearm pronation
• extension of the wrist
• flexion of the fingers
• feet flexed and everted

Around 6 weeks infants can extend their thoracic spine and head when supported around their waist. Closer towards 2 months old, infants can maintain a semi-erect position with support at their hips facilitating their neck and trunk extensors.

Resources

• Understanding Newborn Behaviour
• Newborn Perceptual Motor Behaviour
• Development Skills Training for the 1-2 month old