Date Presented 04/04/19
Researchers hypothesize that independent mobility affects the development of cognitive function in infants and young children. In our experimental research, typically developing precrawling infants were randomly assigned to a robotic mobility or a nonmobile condition. Preliminary results showed that limited experience with independent mobility significantly impacted cognitive development in the mobility group, supporting the need for early mobility aids for infants with motor impairment.
Primary Author and Speaker: Carole Dennis
Contributing Authors: Nancy Rader, Sharon Stansfield, Hélène Larin, Judith Pena-Shaff
PURPOSE: The purpose of the research to be presented was to examine whether experience with robotic-assisted mobility would positively affect the development of executive function in typically-developing pre-crawling infants.
INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE: function involves processes associated with cognitive flexibility, inhibitory control, and the planning, execution, and assessment of voluntary action. This area of cognition is gaining importance in those who work with young children, as they help them to regulate their thoughts, emotions, and actions, and impact one’s life throughout adulthood. Researchers have hypothesized that motor experiences, such as locomotion, are important in the development of executive functioning. Indeed, executive dysfunction has been reported in children with conditions that may affect the development of locomotion, including Down syndrome, developmental coordination disorder, autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and other diagnoses. Evidence is growing to support the view that mobility impairment may contribute to cognitive dysfunction. However, previous research has primarily relied upon correlational research. This study improved upon past research by using an experimental research design. We controlled infant mobility with the use of a robotic mobility device, the WeeBot, which we have demonstrated can be successfully used by infants as young as five months of age (Stansfield, Dennis, Altman, Smith, & Larin, 2017).
DESIGN: A true experimental design was used in this study. Sixty five-month-old infants who were developing typically were recruited by notices on college employee and parent web sites. Infants were randomly assigned to a mobility or a non-mobile condition.
METHOD: Infants assigned to both conditions participated in twelve 20-minute play sessions with similar protocols over two months. Infants in the mobility group used a robotic mobility device while playing that translated their leaning behavior into movement of the robot. Non-mobile infants remained stationary during play sessions. At seven months, infants completed tasks that were visually displayed on a monitor that were associated with executive function. Past research indicates that performance on executive function can be successfully measured using visual response, rather than reaching (for example, see Cuevas & Bell, 2014). The tasks included a visual fixation task, a rule-switching task, and an A-not-B object permanence task. Performance on these tasks was assessed using an eye-tracking system. We hypothesized that infants who received the robotic-assisted mobility experience would perform better than the control infants.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Preliminary results indicate that infants assigned to the mobility condition performed better on the measures of executive function than those in the non-mobile condition; these results were significant for the visual fixation and the A-not-B tasks, and approached significance for the rule switching task. These findings support earlier research that suggests that self-guided locomotor experience may contribute to cognitive function. In addition, our results contribute to existing evidence that providing very early powered mobility to infants with motor impairment may improve their development in multiple domains (Jones, McEwen, & Neas, 2012; Lauren et al. 2018).
IMPACT STATEMENT: This is the first experimental study that support the view that providing early powered mobility may affect the development of cognitive function. Occupational therapists should promote access to mobility as early as is feasible for infants with motor impairment to prevent secondary disability.
References
Cuevas, K., & Bell, M. A. (2014). Infant attention and early childhood executive function. Child Development, 85, 397-404. doi:10.1111/cdev.12126
Jones, M. A., McEwen, I. R., & Neas, B. R. (2012). Effects of power wheelchairs on the development and function of young children with severe motor impairments. Pediatric Physical Therapy, 24, 131-140. doi:10.1097/PEP.0b013e31824c5fdc
Rosen, L., Arva, J., Furumasu, J., Harris, M., Lange, M. I., McCarthy, E., . . . & Wonsettler, T. (2018). RESNA Position on the application of power wheelchairs for pediatric users. Assistive Technology, 21, 218-225. doi:10.1080/10400430903246076
Stansfield, S., Dennis, C., Altman, R., Smith, J., & Larin, H. (2017): A comparison of the efficacy of weight-shift vs. joystick control of a robotic mobility device by infants ages 5 to 10 months. Assistive Technology. doi:10.1080/10400435.2016.1262479
