Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Department

Physical Therapy

First Advisor

Mohamed Elhamadany

Keywords

Season of birth; physical therapy; children; motor development; ages and stages questionnaire; ASQ

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Research has been conducted in countries like Japan and China assessing the impact of various factors on gross motor development. One variable that has been researched and discussed within studies in other countries is the relationship between gross motor development and birth season. This study aimed to address the impact of birth season on gross motor development, specifically within the Midwestern region of the United States. There is limited research regarding this topic within the Midwestern region of the United States.

Materials and Methods: Parents of 114 children completed self-reports on their children’s gross and fine motor development using age-appropriate questions from the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ). Parents were provided with an online survey version of the ASQ. Data was based upon closed-ended questions and analyzed using the percentages of responses for each category.

Results: Findings indicate that of the sample, winter born children scored higher on gross motor development and fall born children scored higher on fine motor development aspects of the ASQ than their counterparts born in other seasons.

Conclusion: While statistically significant correlation cannot be drawn from these results, the trend observed is in agreement with other similar research. Further research should be conducted to look at other factors that may coincide with or have greater impact on motor development than birth season.

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