Identifying Constraints during Infancy and Toddlerhood The attainment of a milestone indicates a unique interaction of various constraints that allow the particular behavior to emerge. The rate at...

Identifying Constraints during Infancy and Toddlerhood

The attainment of a milestone indicates a unique interaction of various constraints that allow the particular behavior to emerge. The rate at which motor milestones appear (and to a certain extent, the type of milestone) for one infant can differ from that for other infants. This suggests that particular constraints may act as rate limiters, or controllers, for a given infant and that when a critical value of that rate limiter is at last reached, the infant will achieve the motor milestone or skill.

One of the best ways to observe constraints in action is to watch a group of infants whose ages vary. Visit a local infant center and carefully observe the infants as their caretakers interact with them. Given your knowledge of infant development from this chapter, make a list of the constraints that affect the motor behavior of individual infants. Find individual, environmental, and task constraints in the context of the infant center. For individual constraints, explain which might act as rate limiters for motor milestones. For environmental and task constraints, explain how these either encourage or discourage different motor behaviors.