Motor Development in Early and Later Childhood Longitudinal Approaches

There is still a lack of insight into how early biological risk factors affect children's adaptive behavior during development. On one hand, studies of young children (up to preschool age) children in 'at risk' groups as indicated by obstetrical or neurological complications, such as hypoxia or anoxia at birth, preterm birth, or early grown retardation, present equivocal findings. Specific factors, such as preor dysmaturity have hardly any predictive value for neurobehavioral development, and there is great variability and inconsistency with other factors. On the other side: in retrospective studies early non-optimal biological conditions are more frequently found in groups exhibiting behavioral and/or learning disorders. There are conditions in which the early status of the organism-environment system impact children's neurobehavioral development, but the specific mechanisms at work are still poorly understood. The papers collected in this volume address methods and approaches to try and understand these mechanisms and their effects much more thoroughly.