Assessing Motor Affordances in the Home Environment

A contemporary view of early childhood motor development considers environmental influences as critical factors in optimal growth and behavior, with the home being the primary agent. In this book we are showing how an innovative parental self-report instrument can be an useful tool for assessing the quality and quantity of affordances in the home that are conducive to enhancing motor development in children. Face validity determination, expert opinion feedback, and selective pilot-testing, lead to the initial determination of the AHEMD (Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development). Construct and content validity of the instrument was examined and determined, with results suggesting that the AHEMD is a valid and reliable instrument to provide researchers, educators, and parents with a reliable instrument to assess the quality and quantity of motor development opportunities in the home during early childhood. We anticipate this work will make a significant contribution toward understanding the potential of the home environment in optimizing motor development of the child - a factor that has come to be recognized as critical to overall infant and child mental health.