- responds first to tactile stimuli

- reflex development

- innate tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular reactions

- tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular inputs are CRITICAL from birth onward for the eventual development of body scheme

- vestibular systems, ALTHOUGH FULLY DEVELOPED at birth, continue to be refined and impacts on the infants arousal level

- VISUAL system develops as infant responds to faces and items of HIGH CONTRAST placed ~10 in from face

- AUDITORY system is IMMATURE at birth and develops as infant orients to voices and other sounds

- VESTIBULAR, PROPRIOCEPTIVE, and VISUAL systems become more integrated and lay the foundation for postural control

- TACTILE and PROPRIOCEPTIVE continue to be refined laying the foundation for dev of SOMATOSENSORY SKILLS

- VISUAL AND TACTILE systems become more integrated as the child reaches out and grasps objects laying the foundation for EYE HAND COORDINATION

-movement patterns progress from reflexive to voluntary and goal directed

-Vestibular, visual, and somatosensory increase in quantity and quality as infant becomes more mobile

- tactile and proprioceptive perceptions become more refined allowing for development of FINE MOTOR and MOTOR PLANNING SKILLS

- tactile and propriocetive perceptions also lead to midline skills and eventual crossing of midline

- AUDITORY, TACTILE, PROPRIOCEPTIVE perceptions are heightened allowing for devleopment of sounds for purpose of communication

- TACTILE, PROPRIOCEPTIVE, GUSTATORY, and OLFACTORY perceptions are integrated allowing for primitive feeding

- TACTILE PERCEPTION becomes more precise allowing for discrimination and localization to further refine fine motor skills

- further integration of ALL SYSTEMS promotes complexity of motor planning as the child expands his/her repertoire of movement patterns

- symbolic gesturing and vocalization promotes ideation, indicating the ability to conceptualize

- motor planning abilitities contribute to SELF CONCEPT as the child begins to master the environment

- period of refinement as the VESTIBULAR, PROPRIOCEPTIVE, AND VISUAL SYSTEMS further develop, leading to IMPROVED BALANCE and POSTURAL CONTROL

- further dev of TACTILE DISCRIMINATION and LOCALIZATION lead to improved FM skills

- MOTOR PLANNING and IDEATION also progress during this period

- driven to CHALLENGE his/her SENSORIMOTOR competencies through roughhouse play, playground activities, games, sports, music, dancing, arts and crafts, household chores, and school tasks

- provide opportunities to promote social development and self-esteem