Changes in coordination during the first 8 months of independent walking

This study assessed the development of coordination during the first 8 months of independent walking and identified potential hypotheses that may be tested by further research. The walking gait of a normal child was recorded on video at the onset of independent walking, and thereafter at monthly intervals over a period of 8 months. Video images were digitized and 3-dimensional coordinates obtained. The coefficient of variation was used to measure variability in the movement. Other variables studied included range of movement, relationships between angles, angular velocities, timing relationships, proportional distance and temporal phasing. By adopting a dynamical systems perspective, this study identified variables that challenged the stability of the locomotor system. Coordinative structures were observed to shift from one state to another from age 18 months; such mutations included decreased range of motion, hip-knee angle relationship that resemble mature walking, relative time of peak angular velocity, and stability of angle-angular velocity phasing.