Question

Because myelination of motor neurons occurs in a cephalocaudal direction, infants ______.

a) Develop fine motor skills before gross motor skills
b) Develop gross motor skills before fine motor skills
c) Develop motor skills from the toes upward
d) Develop motor skills from the head downward

Answer 1

Infants develop motor skills from the head downward due to myelination of motor neurons occurring in a cephalocaudal direction.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer is d) Develop motor skills from the head downward.

Myelination of motor neurons occurs in a cephalocaudal direction, meaning that it starts from the head and progresses downward to the rest of the body. This means that infants develop motor skills from the head downward. For example, babies first learn to hold their heads up, then to sit with assistance, and then to sit unassisted, followed by crawling and then walking. Gross motor skills, which involve larger movements of the arms and legs, develop before fine motor skills, which involve smaller actions such as grasping a toy or using a spoon.