Podcast on Pediatric Variability

Physical Therapy has just posted a new podcast entitled Variability in Childhood Development. Several researchers discuss the importance of variability in normal child development. The podcast is approximately 26 minutes long. You can download it for free at Physical Therapy podcasts.

I just finished listening to it and the researchers bring up some good points on:

• why children need variability in order to learn motor skills.
  
• Children need to fail at times in order to learn the correct movements or postures.
  
• how children benefit from variability as they explore their environments

Therapists need to take cues from infants and children to allow for variability to occur.

Reference: Variability in Childhood Development. Physical Therapy doi: 10.2522/​ptj.2010.90.12.1708 Physical Therapy November 2010 vol. 90 no. 12 1708-1709