Eloisa Tudella - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Eloisa Tudella
Disability and rehabilitation, Jan 22, 2017
The elastic therapeutic taping has been considered a promising resource for disabled children. To... more The elastic therapeutic taping has been considered a promising resource for disabled children. To systematically review the evidence of the effects of elastic therapeutic taping on motor function in children with motor impairments. Three independent evaluators conducted searches in electronic databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, BIREME/BVS, Science Direct, SciELO, and PEDro). Clinical studies design, published until 2016, involving elastic therapeutic taping and children aged 0-12 years with motor impairments were included. The variables considered were the methodological aspects (study design, participants, outcome measurements, and experimental conditions); results presented in the studies, and also the methodological quality of studies. Final selection was composed by 12 manuscripts (five randomized controlled trials), published in the last 10 years. Among them, cerebral palsy (CP) was the most recurrent disorder (n = 7), followed by congenital muscular torticollis (n = 2) ...
Children
Our objective was to compare changes in game performance and intensity of heart rate (HR) between... more Our objective was to compare changes in game performance and intensity of heart rate (HR) between two types of active video game (AVG) in children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Additionally, we assessed the level of improvement per game as well as the perceived exertion and enjoyment during training. Seventy-six children, 36 with DCD and 40 without (TD) were randomly assigned to a 5-week program of Wii-Fit or Xbox-Kinect training 2× a week. The steepness of the performance curves was not different between consoles, nor between groups. Playing Kinect games resulted in higher HR in both groups. Wii and Kinect seem to be comparable AVG consoles that can be used for children with and without DCD, with the Kinect reaching a higher intensity of training.
Infant Behavior and Development, 2021
The aims of the study were to 1) verify the level of trunk control longitudinally and reaching be... more The aims of the study were to 1) verify the level of trunk control longitudinally and reaching behavior while sitting in two positions in late preterm (LPT) and full-term (FT) infants, 2) determine whether the level of trunk control relates to reaching outcomes. Twenty LPT infants and 36 infants born FT were assessed via three in-lab visits: at 6, 7, and 8 months. At each visit, the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) and reaching assessment were performed, where the infants were positioned sitting in the ring and at 90° of flexion of hips, knees, and ankles. Accurate manual support to the trunk was provided in each visit. LPT infants presented a lower level of trunk control over time. LPT infants presented a higher percentage of unimanual reaches and successful grasping at 7 months' visit, and a higher number of reaches at 8 months' visit compared to FT infants. The sitting positions did not influence reaching performance. The level of trunk control relates to functional reaching strategies only in FT infants. This study might provide insights for clinicians for understanding the level of trunk control, the importance of reaching behaviors for exploration, and considering these behaviors as strategies for intervention.
Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 2022
AIM To compare the effect of the Nintendo Wii-Fit and Xbox Kinect on motor performance and to ass... more AIM To compare the effect of the Nintendo Wii-Fit and Xbox Kinect on motor performance and to assess differential effects in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and typical development (TD). METHOD In an assessor-blinded randomized comparator-controlled design, 68 participants (34 DCD and 34 TD) aged 7-10 years, were randomly assigned to train on one of two devices (34 Wii-Fit; 34 Xbox Kinect). RESULTS Repeated measure ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of time on balance and agility variables (MABC-2, Wii Yoga stance, PERF-FIT side-hop, PERF-FIT ladder-stepping; all p ≤ 0.02), but not on running variables (BOT2-sprint, 10 × 5 m sprint and PERF-FIT ladder running; p > 0.05). No significant interactions were observed, indicating similar changes on both devices. Overall, 35% of the TD children and 76% of the children with DCD improved on one or more of the outcomes beyond the smallest detectable difference. However, at the individual level, larger differences in improvement were found in the Kinect group compared to the Wii between TD and DCD groups. CONCLUSION Both Wii-Fit and Kinect devices can be used to train with similar results on motor performance. An important percentage (76%) of children with DCD improved on at least one motor task after training.
Revista Brasileira De Fisioterapia, 2007
Revista Brasileira De Fisioterapia, 2000
The proposal of this longitudinal study is to characterize and compare motor development in typic... more The proposal of this longitudinal study is to characterize and compare motor development in typically-developing and Down Syndrome infants aged 3-7 months by using Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). The control group was composed of four healthy typically-developing infants (gestational age, M=38.6 weeks, SD=0.65 weeks). The experimental group comprised four healthy infants with Down syndrome, two born full-term (gestational age, M=38.5 weeks, SD=0.5 weeks), and two born preterm (gestational age, M=35 weeks, SD=0), who were evaluated at their corrected age. The infants from experimental group received physical therapy treatment from the third month onwards. After obtaining parental consent as well as approval from Research Ethics Committee (protocol n. 079/2006) of the University Federal of S?o Carlos, the infants were evaluated from 3 to 7 months through AIMS. This scale evaluates infant motor development in four different positions: supine, prone, sitting, and standing. ANOVA for ...
Jornal de Pediatria, 2019
Objective: To find evidence of the symptoms of anxiety/depression in children with developmental ... more Objective: To find evidence of the symptoms of anxiety/depression in children with developmental coordination disorder as compared to their typically developing peers at both the group and individual level, and to identify how many different tools are used to measure anxiety and/or depression. Methods: Electronic searches in eight databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PsycINFO, Embase, SciELO and LILACS), using the following keywords: 'Developmental Coordination Disorder,' 'Behavioral Problems,' 'Child,' 'Anxiety,' 'Depression,' 'Mental Health,' and 'Mental Disorders.' The methodological quality was assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale adapted for cross-sectional studies and the NOS for cohort studies. The studies were classified as low, moderate, or high quality. To provide clinical evidence, the effect size of the symptoms of anxiety and depression was calculated for each study. Results: The initial database searches identified 581 studies, and after the eligibility criteria were applied, six studies were included in the review. All studies were classified as being of moderate to high quality, and the effect sizes for both anxiety and depression outcomes were medium. The evidence indicated that all of the assessed studies presented more symptoms of anxiety and depression in children with developmental coordination disorder than in their typically developing peers. On the individual level, this review found children with clinical symptoms of anxiety in 17-34% (developmental coordination disorder) and 0-23% (typically developing), and of depression in 9-15% (developmental coordination disorder) and 2-5% (typically developing) of the children.
Clinical Biomechanics, 2019
Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often have difficulty with activities that require ... more Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often have difficulty with activities that require the upper extremities secondary to deficits in strength and range of motion, spasticity, and poor timing and coordination of movement. This study aimed to identify and compare timing and coordination of the trunk and upper extremity in children with and without CP during a functional task. Methods: Eighteen children, N=9 with CP and N=9 with typical development were enrolled. Participants were seated in a standard chair and instructed to drink from a glass placed at a distance of 75% of available arm length. The task was divided into 3 Phases: 1) reaching to the glass, 2) transporting the glass to the mouth, and 3) returning the glass to the table. The spatiotemporal and angular variables were analyzed with 3D kinematics of movement using a 4-camera Qualysis Motion System. Findings: Children with CP demonstrated poor upper extremity timing and coordination. Despite significant trunk displacement used as a compensation in Phase 1, children with CP demonstrated a significantly lower mean velocity and velocity peak during Phases 2 and 3; and demonstrated less straight motion which required more time and movement units in all phases.
Fisioterapia Brasil, 2018
Objetivo: Verificar o impacto da informação visual e somatossensorial na estabilidade postural de... more Objetivo: Verificar o impacto da informação visual e somatossensorial na estabilidade postural de crianças. Métodos: Participaram 21 crianças divididas em grupos de 7-8 e 9-10 anos. A estabilidade postural foi mensurada pela velocidade de oscilação postural, sobre uma plataforma de força do sistema Balance Master. Os sujeitos foram testados em 4 condições experimentais: olhos abertos sobre superfície firme; olhos fechados sobre superfície firme; olhos abertos sobre superfície instável e; olhos fechados sobre superfície instável. Os dados foram comparados pelo teste de Kruskal-Wallis (p ≤ 0,05). Resultados e discussão: O teste de Kruskal-Wallis não constatou diferenças entre os grupos, sugerindo uma homogeneidade na utilização das informações provenientes dos sistemas visual e somatossensorial por crianças de 7 a 10 anos de idade. Entre as condições experimentais, verificouse que a supressão da informação visual, quando isolada, não alterou a estabilidade postural dos sujeitos....
Temas Desenvolv, Jun 1, 2001
![Research paper thumbnail of Corrigendum to “Differences between late preterm and full-term infants: Comparing effects of a short bout of practice on early reaching behavior” [Res. Dev. Disabil. 35 (11) (2014) 3096–3107]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/111230280/thumbnails/1.jpg)
](Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2015
Corrigendum to ''Differences between late preterm and full-term infants: Comparing effects of a s... more Corrigendum to ''Differences between late preterm and full-term infants: Comparing effects of a short bout of practice on early reaching behavior'' [Res. Dev. Disabil. 35 (11) (2014) 3096-3107]
Physiology & Behavior, 2015
Background: The palmar grasp behavior is one of the items of an infant's routine neurological tes... more Background: The palmar grasp behavior is one of the items of an infant's routine neurological tests. Its exacerbated presence after the fifth month of age or absence in the first day after birth is an important sign of neuro-sensorimotor disorders. This study aimed to describe the palmar grasp behavior of full-term newborns in the first 72 h of life. Methods: This nonrandomized cross-sectional developmental study included 219 typical newborns aged 12-24 h, 25-48 h and 49-72 h. Three measurements were performed with newborns in the supine position, recording the palmar grasp time and strength. Statistical analysis was applied with significant level of p b 0.05. Results: Higher palmar grasp strength was observed in newborns aged 49-72 h compared to newborns aged 12-24 h and 25-48 h (F = 7.42, p = 0.01). There was significant difference in palmar grasp strength between hands (F = 6.55, p = 0.01), only in 12-24 h, with greater strength in the left hand (t = −2.43, p = 0.01), and difference in palmar grasp between strength (F = 18.7, p = 0.01) with greater strength in females (t = −5.40, p = 0.01) only at the age 48-72 h. Conclusions: It was concluded that the palmar grasp behavior modifies in the first 72 h of life.
Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 2011
Can size and rigidity of objects influence infant's proximal and distal adjustments of reaching? ... more Can size and rigidity of objects influence infant's proximal and distal adjustments of reaching? Tamanho e rigidez dos objetos influenciam os ajustes proximais e distais do alcance de crianças?
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2013
Investigating manual actions when infants' upper limbs are heavier can provide information on... more Investigating manual actions when infants' upper limbs are heavier can provide information on whether mechanical forces can influence the early ability of exploring grasped objects. This study assessed whether additional weight load affected typical infants' manual non-exploratory and exploratory behaviors. Ten healthy full-term infants were evaluated longitudinally at 5, 6, and 7 months of age. They were tested consecutively without weight and with a weight of 20% of the total upper limb mass ( M = 74.7–85.3 g) attached to their wrists while seated in a baby chair. During each condition, a malleable rubber object was presented at the infant's midline to elicit reaching, grasping, and object exploration for 2 min. Reactions were recorded using three digital cameras. Behaviors were coded as non-exploratory (dropping) and manual exploratory behaviors (waving, banging, rotating, alternating and mouthing) and were computed by frequencies of their occurrence. The analyses ind...
Infant Behavior and Development, 2012
Exploratory behaviors of 9 late preterm infants and 10 full-term infants were evaluated longitudi... more Exploratory behaviors of 9 late preterm infants and 10 full-term infants were evaluated longitudinally at 5, 6 and 7 months of age. Eight exploratory behaviors were coded. The preterm infants mouthed the object less and had delayed gains in Waving compared to the full-term infants.
Infant Behavior and Development, 2008
Although research suggests that experience may be a better indicator of the acquisition of certai... more Although research suggests that experience may be a better indicator of the acquisition of certain abilities by infants than age, little work addresses this issue in the development of reaching movements in particular. This longitudinal study fills this gap by verifying the effect of practice time on more-and less-skilled reachers of the same age group in different body orientations. Less-(n = 6) and more-skilled (n = 4) reachers were evaluated at the acquisition of reaching and again after 1 month of spontaneous practice. Kinematic analyses examined 3D wrist motion during reaching trials in supine (0 •), reclined (45 •) and seated (70 •) orientations. The results indicated that skill level was a relevant factor in dealing with gravitational constraints imposed by different body orientations. Time of practice affected the way less-and more-skilled reachers explored and adapted the kinematic parameters of reaching to constraints imposed by body orientations. These findings suggest that not only age, but also experience and body orientations are important constraints that should be taken into account when examining infant reaching development.
Disability and rehabilitation, Jan 22, 2017
The elastic therapeutic taping has been considered a promising resource for disabled children. To... more The elastic therapeutic taping has been considered a promising resource for disabled children. To systematically review the evidence of the effects of elastic therapeutic taping on motor function in children with motor impairments. Three independent evaluators conducted searches in electronic databases (MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, LILACS, BIREME/BVS, Science Direct, SciELO, and PEDro). Clinical studies design, published until 2016, involving elastic therapeutic taping and children aged 0-12 years with motor impairments were included. The variables considered were the methodological aspects (study design, participants, outcome measurements, and experimental conditions); results presented in the studies, and also the methodological quality of studies. Final selection was composed by 12 manuscripts (five randomized controlled trials), published in the last 10 years. Among them, cerebral palsy (CP) was the most recurrent disorder (n = 7), followed by congenital muscular torticollis (n = 2) ...
Children
Our objective was to compare changes in game performance and intensity of heart rate (HR) between... more Our objective was to compare changes in game performance and intensity of heart rate (HR) between two types of active video game (AVG) in children with and without Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). Additionally, we assessed the level of improvement per game as well as the perceived exertion and enjoyment during training. Seventy-six children, 36 with DCD and 40 without (TD) were randomly assigned to a 5-week program of Wii-Fit or Xbox-Kinect training 2× a week. The steepness of the performance curves was not different between consoles, nor between groups. Playing Kinect games resulted in higher HR in both groups. Wii and Kinect seem to be comparable AVG consoles that can be used for children with and without DCD, with the Kinect reaching a higher intensity of training.
Infant Behavior and Development, 2021
The aims of the study were to 1) verify the level of trunk control longitudinally and reaching be... more The aims of the study were to 1) verify the level of trunk control longitudinally and reaching behavior while sitting in two positions in late preterm (LPT) and full-term (FT) infants, 2) determine whether the level of trunk control relates to reaching outcomes. Twenty LPT infants and 36 infants born FT were assessed via three in-lab visits: at 6, 7, and 8 months. At each visit, the Segmental Assessment of Trunk Control (SATCo) and reaching assessment were performed, where the infants were positioned sitting in the ring and at 90° of flexion of hips, knees, and ankles. Accurate manual support to the trunk was provided in each visit. LPT infants presented a lower level of trunk control over time. LPT infants presented a higher percentage of unimanual reaches and successful grasping at 7 months' visit, and a higher number of reaches at 8 months' visit compared to FT infants. The sitting positions did not influence reaching performance. The level of trunk control relates to functional reaching strategies only in FT infants. This study might provide insights for clinicians for understanding the level of trunk control, the importance of reaching behaviors for exploration, and considering these behaviors as strategies for intervention.
Applied Neuropsychology: Child, 2022
AIM To compare the effect of the Nintendo Wii-Fit and Xbox Kinect on motor performance and to ass... more AIM To compare the effect of the Nintendo Wii-Fit and Xbox Kinect on motor performance and to assess differential effects in children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) and typical development (TD). METHOD In an assessor-blinded randomized comparator-controlled design, 68 participants (34 DCD and 34 TD) aged 7-10 years, were randomly assigned to train on one of two devices (34 Wii-Fit; 34 Xbox Kinect). RESULTS Repeated measure ANOVA revealed a significant main effect of time on balance and agility variables (MABC-2, Wii Yoga stance, PERF-FIT side-hop, PERF-FIT ladder-stepping; all p ≤ 0.02), but not on running variables (BOT2-sprint, 10 × 5 m sprint and PERF-FIT ladder running; p > 0.05). No significant interactions were observed, indicating similar changes on both devices. Overall, 35% of the TD children and 76% of the children with DCD improved on one or more of the outcomes beyond the smallest detectable difference. However, at the individual level, larger differences in improvement were found in the Kinect group compared to the Wii between TD and DCD groups. CONCLUSION Both Wii-Fit and Kinect devices can be used to train with similar results on motor performance. An important percentage (76%) of children with DCD improved on at least one motor task after training.
Revista Brasileira De Fisioterapia, 2007
Revista Brasileira De Fisioterapia, 2000
The proposal of this longitudinal study is to characterize and compare motor development in typic... more The proposal of this longitudinal study is to characterize and compare motor development in typically-developing and Down Syndrome infants aged 3-7 months by using Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). The control group was composed of four healthy typically-developing infants (gestational age, M=38.6 weeks, SD=0.65 weeks). The experimental group comprised four healthy infants with Down syndrome, two born full-term (gestational age, M=38.5 weeks, SD=0.5 weeks), and two born preterm (gestational age, M=35 weeks, SD=0), who were evaluated at their corrected age. The infants from experimental group received physical therapy treatment from the third month onwards. After obtaining parental consent as well as approval from Research Ethics Committee (protocol n. 079/2006) of the University Federal of S?o Carlos, the infants were evaluated from 3 to 7 months through AIMS. This scale evaluates infant motor development in four different positions: supine, prone, sitting, and standing. ANOVA for ...
Jornal de Pediatria, 2019
Objective: To find evidence of the symptoms of anxiety/depression in children with developmental ... more Objective: To find evidence of the symptoms of anxiety/depression in children with developmental coordination disorder as compared to their typically developing peers at both the group and individual level, and to identify how many different tools are used to measure anxiety and/or depression. Methods: Electronic searches in eight databases (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, PsycINFO, Embase, SciELO and LILACS), using the following keywords: 'Developmental Coordination Disorder,' 'Behavioral Problems,' 'Child,' 'Anxiety,' 'Depression,' 'Mental Health,' and 'Mental Disorders.' The methodological quality was assessed by Newcastle-Ottawa Scale adapted for cross-sectional studies and the NOS for cohort studies. The studies were classified as low, moderate, or high quality. To provide clinical evidence, the effect size of the symptoms of anxiety and depression was calculated for each study. Results: The initial database searches identified 581 studies, and after the eligibility criteria were applied, six studies were included in the review. All studies were classified as being of moderate to high quality, and the effect sizes for both anxiety and depression outcomes were medium. The evidence indicated that all of the assessed studies presented more symptoms of anxiety and depression in children with developmental coordination disorder than in their typically developing peers. On the individual level, this review found children with clinical symptoms of anxiety in 17-34% (developmental coordination disorder) and 0-23% (typically developing), and of depression in 9-15% (developmental coordination disorder) and 2-5% (typically developing) of the children.
Clinical Biomechanics, 2019
Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often have difficulty with activities that require ... more Background: Children with cerebral palsy (CP) often have difficulty with activities that require the upper extremities secondary to deficits in strength and range of motion, spasticity, and poor timing and coordination of movement. This study aimed to identify and compare timing and coordination of the trunk and upper extremity in children with and without CP during a functional task. Methods: Eighteen children, N=9 with CP and N=9 with typical development were enrolled. Participants were seated in a standard chair and instructed to drink from a glass placed at a distance of 75% of available arm length. The task was divided into 3 Phases: 1) reaching to the glass, 2) transporting the glass to the mouth, and 3) returning the glass to the table. The spatiotemporal and angular variables were analyzed with 3D kinematics of movement using a 4-camera Qualysis Motion System. Findings: Children with CP demonstrated poor upper extremity timing and coordination. Despite significant trunk displacement used as a compensation in Phase 1, children with CP demonstrated a significantly lower mean velocity and velocity peak during Phases 2 and 3; and demonstrated less straight motion which required more time and movement units in all phases.
Fisioterapia Brasil, 2018
Objetivo: Verificar o impacto da informação visual e somatossensorial na estabilidade postural de... more Objetivo: Verificar o impacto da informação visual e somatossensorial na estabilidade postural de crianças. Métodos: Participaram 21 crianças divididas em grupos de 7-8 e 9-10 anos. A estabilidade postural foi mensurada pela velocidade de oscilação postural, sobre uma plataforma de força do sistema Balance Master. Os sujeitos foram testados em 4 condições experimentais: olhos abertos sobre superfície firme; olhos fechados sobre superfície firme; olhos abertos sobre superfície instável e; olhos fechados sobre superfície instável. Os dados foram comparados pelo teste de Kruskal-Wallis (p ≤ 0,05). Resultados e discussão: O teste de Kruskal-Wallis não constatou diferenças entre os grupos, sugerindo uma homogeneidade na utilização das informações provenientes dos sistemas visual e somatossensorial por crianças de 7 a 10 anos de idade. Entre as condições experimentais, verificouse que a supressão da informação visual, quando isolada, não alterou a estabilidade postural dos sujeitos....
Temas Desenvolv, Jun 1, 2001
Research in Developmental Disabilities, 2015
Corrigendum to ''Differences between late preterm and full-term infants: Comparing effects of a s... more Corrigendum to ''Differences between late preterm and full-term infants: Comparing effects of a short bout of practice on early reaching behavior'' [Res. Dev. Disabil. 35 (11) (2014) 3096-3107]
Physiology & Behavior, 2015
Background: The palmar grasp behavior is one of the items of an infant's routine neurological tes... more Background: The palmar grasp behavior is one of the items of an infant's routine neurological tests. Its exacerbated presence after the fifth month of age or absence in the first day after birth is an important sign of neuro-sensorimotor disorders. This study aimed to describe the palmar grasp behavior of full-term newborns in the first 72 h of life. Methods: This nonrandomized cross-sectional developmental study included 219 typical newborns aged 12-24 h, 25-48 h and 49-72 h. Three measurements were performed with newborns in the supine position, recording the palmar grasp time and strength. Statistical analysis was applied with significant level of p b 0.05. Results: Higher palmar grasp strength was observed in newborns aged 49-72 h compared to newborns aged 12-24 h and 25-48 h (F = 7.42, p = 0.01). There was significant difference in palmar grasp strength between hands (F = 6.55, p = 0.01), only in 12-24 h, with greater strength in the left hand (t = −2.43, p = 0.01), and difference in palmar grasp between strength (F = 18.7, p = 0.01) with greater strength in females (t = −5.40, p = 0.01) only at the age 48-72 h. Conclusions: It was concluded that the palmar grasp behavior modifies in the first 72 h of life.
Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy, 2011
Can size and rigidity of objects influence infant's proximal and distal adjustments of reaching? ... more Can size and rigidity of objects influence infant's proximal and distal adjustments of reaching? Tamanho e rigidez dos objetos influenciam os ajustes proximais e distais do alcance de crianças?
Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2013
Investigating manual actions when infants' upper limbs are heavier can provide information on... more Investigating manual actions when infants' upper limbs are heavier can provide information on whether mechanical forces can influence the early ability of exploring grasped objects. This study assessed whether additional weight load affected typical infants' manual non-exploratory and exploratory behaviors. Ten healthy full-term infants were evaluated longitudinally at 5, 6, and 7 months of age. They were tested consecutively without weight and with a weight of 20% of the total upper limb mass ( M = 74.7–85.3 g) attached to their wrists while seated in a baby chair. During each condition, a malleable rubber object was presented at the infant's midline to elicit reaching, grasping, and object exploration for 2 min. Reactions were recorded using three digital cameras. Behaviors were coded as non-exploratory (dropping) and manual exploratory behaviors (waving, banging, rotating, alternating and mouthing) and were computed by frequencies of their occurrence. The analyses ind...
Infant Behavior and Development, 2012
Exploratory behaviors of 9 late preterm infants and 10 full-term infants were evaluated longitudi... more Exploratory behaviors of 9 late preterm infants and 10 full-term infants were evaluated longitudinally at 5, 6 and 7 months of age. Eight exploratory behaviors were coded. The preterm infants mouthed the object less and had delayed gains in Waving compared to the full-term infants.
Infant Behavior and Development, 2008
Although research suggests that experience may be a better indicator of the acquisition of certai... more Although research suggests that experience may be a better indicator of the acquisition of certain abilities by infants than age, little work addresses this issue in the development of reaching movements in particular. This longitudinal study fills this gap by verifying the effect of practice time on more-and less-skilled reachers of the same age group in different body orientations. Less-(n = 6) and more-skilled (n = 4) reachers were evaluated at the acquisition of reaching and again after 1 month of spontaneous practice. Kinematic analyses examined 3D wrist motion during reaching trials in supine (0 •), reclined (45 •) and seated (70 •) orientations. The results indicated that skill level was a relevant factor in dealing with gravitational constraints imposed by different body orientations. Time of practice affected the way less-and more-skilled reachers explored and adapted the kinematic parameters of reaching to constraints imposed by body orientations. These findings suggest that not only age, but also experience and body orientations are important constraints that should be taken into account when examining infant reaching development.