Early Motor Interventions in Infants and Young Children: A Comprehensive Scoping Review.

backgroundEarly motor milestones play a critical role in shaping developmental trajectories across motor, cognitive, social, and functional domains. Increasing evidence indicates that motor competence facilitates environmental exploration, learning opportunities, and social engagement during infancy and early childhood.

methodsThe present scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the existing evidence on early motor interventions in children aged 0-6 years across diverse pediatric populations. A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria, and data were extracted and synthesized using a descriptive and thematic approach.

resultsA total of 30 studies were included, encompassing a wide range of populations, including preterm infants, children at risk of cerebral palsy, and typically developing children. Across studies, early motor interventions were associated with improvements in motor outcomes and, in many cases, broader developmental domains such as cognition and social interaction. Intervention effectiveness appeared to be influenced by factors such as timing, intensity, task specificity, and caregiver involvement.

conclusionsThe review provides a cross-population synthesis of early motor interventions and proposes a conceptual framework that integrates shared mechanisms underlying effective intervention across diverse pediatric groups. This approach offers a more unified understanding of how early motor interventions influence developmental trajectories beyond diagnosis-specific perspectives.