ABSTRACT
During typical development, experience and maturation interact to influence the development of musculoskeletal and neuromotor systems, which enable children's motor skills to improve with increasing age. It is conventional to see the development of movement skill co-ordination as age-related but not age-determined. This aspect is highlighted in the typical variation for learning motor skills and the individual differences in motor performance of any group of same-aged children. However, there are some children who exhibit difficulty co-ordinating their movement and for whom learning fine and gross motor skills is very hard. For some, such children are seen to have a delay in motor development; however, as this chapter will clarify, it is our view that the developmental pathway of these children is different compared to their typically developing peers. The interaction between the child, the environment, and culturally demanding motor tasks contributes to the difference in developmental outcome.
