Examkin

Question

Difficulty: EasyDevelopmental Stages and Transitions

A pediatric nurse is educating a group of new parents about expected gross motor skill acquisition during the first year of life. Arrange the following gross motor developmental milestones in the chronological order in which they typically occur in a healthy infant, from earliest to latest.

  1. 1Lifts head and chest while lying prone
  2. 2Rolls from abdomen to back
  3. 3Sits completely without support
  4. 4Pulls up to a standing position

Answer

The correct sequence of gross motor development is: lifting head and chest while prone, followed by rolling from abdomen to back, then sitting completely without support, and finally pulling up to a standing position.
Infant gross motor development strictly follows a cephalocaudal pattern, meaning control progresses from the head downward. Infants first gain control of their head and neck (lifting head prone), followed by their upper trunk (rolling over), then their lower back and core (sitting without support), and finally their lower extremities (pulling to a stand).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Recall the directional pattern of infant motor development.
Motor development follows a cephalocaudal (head-to-toe) and proximodistal (center-to-periphery) pattern.
Understanding these developmental laws helps logically sequence milestones without pure memorization.
2
Identify the milestone involving the head and neck.
Lifting the head and chest while prone (2-3 months) is the earliest listed milestone.
Head control is the first major gross motor achievement.
3
Identify the milestone involving the torso.
Rolling from abdomen to back (4-5 months) occurs next as the infant gains truncal strength.
Truncal control develops after head control but before lower body control.
4
Identify the milestones involving core stability and the lower extremities.
Sitting without support (8 months) precedes pulling to a standing position (9-10 months).
An infant must have complete core and back stability to sit independently before they can bear weight on their legs to pull up.

Key Concept

Infant Gross Motor Milestones and Cephalocaudal Development
Estimated Time:45s
Rate this question

Topics

Developmental Stages and Transitions

More questions from this topic