The Neurophysiology and Neuropsychology of Motor Development

The central focus of this book is the development of skilled motor actions by children; commonplace but vital actions such as maintaining posture, walking, reaching and grasping, and manipulating objects and tools. It represents a state-of-the art report on motor development linking neurophysiological and neuropsychological approaches. Using examples from both normal and pathological development, contributions study pre and postnatal brain development and its relationship to movement, the importance of fetal movements, postural control in children, the neurobiology of locomotor development, neural mechanisms of grasping and typical patterns of behavioural change. New theoretical developments including adaptive model theory, dynamic systems theory, and the relationship between variability and stability in skill development are also critically reviewed.