I have been reviewing and editing the very many videos of the development of my three grandchildren. And once again I am struck by the way infants, from the first weeks push and pull on surfaces to support or move their bodies. 

 In this week's video clip you see Will, aged 8 months, who is new to standing with hand support. I was particularly struck by how he "knows" how to lean on his forearms when he needs to increase his base of support and free  his hands for exploring a toy. 

And sometimes he leans against available vertical surfaces. 

Implications for physical therapy

Infants with developmental delay often do not have a large repertoire of strategies for using body, arm and hand support to support themselves when they first start to practice standing. 

It helps to provide the infant with a variety of support surfaces at different height and in different positions to allow the infant to explore different ways to support themselves and maintain balance.