Welcome to the Infant Communication Lab!

The Infant Communication Lab (ICL) studies the nature and development of the relationship between motor activity, postural stability, communication, and language in infants with vs. without developmental differences. We study motor activity, postural stability, communication, gesture, and language and how advances in motor development may influence communication and language, social interactions, and caregiver communication.

Current projects focus on four major topics:

a) How changes in motor activity and postural stability relate to advances in other developmental domains

b) How motor planning develops in infants and toddlers

c) How communication, gesture, and language develop over time in infants

d) How caregivers’ communication with infants changes over time and in relation to advances in motor development.

Delays and difficulties with the development of motor skills can have cascading developmental effects on “higher order” abilities such as communication and language. Our lab is working to develop movement based interventions that are home based and parent mediated, and thus can be delivered at high doses to impact multiple interacting developmental systems.

We use advanced technological devices to collect fine grained information about infants’ movement at home.

• Wrist sensors and a pressure sensitive mat track infants’ arm movements and measure how they control their posture as they sit and reach for toys.
• Current projects involve use of a pressure sensitive gait carpet to track changes in infant walking skill over time.