The influence of geographic region on the seasonality of early motor development

This investigation was conducted to determine whether the strong seasonalit y effect on infant motor development that has been noted in moderate climat es would be replicated with infants born in a geographic region with more e xtreme conditions. One hundred and forty-five full-term infants (72 males, 73 females) born in Edmonton, Alberta were assessed using the Alberta Infan t Motor Scale (AIMS) at 7 months of age. No seasonality effects on the AIMS total scores or the prone, supine, sitting, or standing subsection scores were detected. A weak and statistically non-significant correlation was obt ained between the average monthly AIMS scores and the average monthly tempe ratures 7 months after birth. These results suggest that extreme climatic c onditions in urban geographic regions may dampen effects of season of birth on infant motor development.