Pediatric neurodevelopment and sports participation: When are children ready to play sports?

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Definition of neurodevelopment

Neurodevelopment in a broad sense refers to the growth and maturation of the nervous system as well as sensory and perceptual abilities of the child [9], [15], [16], [25], [26], [28], [29]. Normal growth and development is characterized by individual variations in the rate of progression and achievement of milestones and the sequential nature of this progression. Although largely determined by genetic factors, environmental factors (such as opportunity, nutrition, and social context) also play

Neurodevelopmental readiness

Sports readiness refers to a stage when the child has reached the necessary maturity to learn a given sport-related task [1], [9], [12], [21], [22], [30], [31], [42], [57]. In other words, it is a process in which the child acquires necessary motor, physical, cognitive, social, and adaptive abilities and is ready to meet the demands of a given sport. Readiness to play and to compete is influenced by biologic, physiologic, psychosocial, and environmental factors [7], [11], [17], [22], [31], [41]

The infant and the toddler

It is not unusual to see many infants and toddlers being initiated into sports programs such as swimming and gymnastics; a crawling race for infants has also been reported [7], [21], [62], [63]. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children are not developmentally ready for swimming lessons until after 4 years of age [7], [62]. Early participation in swimming programs has not been shown to decrease the later risk of drowning, nor does it increase the skill of swimming in children

Physical growth and motor development

During the preschool years, from about 3 to 5 or 6 years of age, physical growth slows down compared to infancy and toddler stages; however, acquisition of basic neuromotor, language, and cognitive skills increase rapidly [19], [26], [29], [36]. The development of better postural and balance control allows preschoolers to learn how to ride a bicycle without training wheels, catch a small ball thrown from 10 feet away, and use their hands to manipulate objects (such as for drawing and elementary

Physical growth and motor development

By the middle years (6 to 10 or 11 years) most children have established adult walking patterns [15], [29], [59]. There is a synergistic cooperation of the physiologic, neurologic, and musculoskeletal systems that allows children at this level of development to adopt a walking frequency to optimize physiological cost, symmetry, and stability [59].

Physical growth is fairly steady during the elementary school years; gender differences in height and weight are less noticeable than in later

The adolescent years

Selected aspects of somatic, sexual, and skeletal growth and maturation during adolescence, especially relevant to sport participation and performance, and their developmental continuity and inter-relatedness have been the subject of several recent reviews and studies [13], [14], [17], [19], [20], [21], [27], [49], [52], [54], [57], [74], [75], [76], [77], [78], [79], [80], [81].

Growth, development, and training

Studies show that regular training or sport participation does not affect the timing, rate, or magnitude of peak height velocity [20], [21], [27], [49], [59], [52], [54], [57], [78]. Regular weight training may contribute to an increase in fat free mass (FFM) and favorably alter the fat mass (FM) to FFM ratio. Endurance training also may result in improved aerobic capacity; however, the effects of growth itself and of training may be difficult to differentiate, especially in adolescents.

Neurodevelopment and injuries

Numerous reports have discussed the implications of young athlete's growth and development for specific risks, unique characteristics, and short- and long-term complications of sport-related injuries and have suggested appropriate precautionary and preventive measures [63], [64], [74], [89], [90], [91], [92], [93], [94], [95], [96], [97], [98], [99], [100], [101], [102], [103], [104], [105], [106], [107], [108], [109], [110]. Young children can be predisposed to injuries because of

Conclusion

Neurodevelopmental maturation is a complex, continuous process, encompassing a number of domains. Although the rate of developmental progress varies, the sequence remains the same during normal development. Early training does not seem to enhance achievement of specific abilities at an earlier age; indeed, the neurologic system must first mature at its own normal pace. It is not possible to predict future athletic excellence. Different areas of development (somatic, neurologic, cognitive,

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    This article is adapted and reproduced from Pratt HD, Patel DR, Greydanus DE. Sports and the neurodevelopment of the child and adolescent. In: Drez D, et al, editors. Orthopedic sports medicine. 2nd edition. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders Co.; 2002.

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