In DST, what is considered critical to motor development?

• A. A small, but critical change in one sub-system can cause the whole system to shift, resulting in a new motor behaviour.
• B. The biggest change in the entire system
• C. Only external factors
• D. Genetics

Answer: (A)

Dynamic Systems Theory explains that motor development emerges from the ongoing interaction of multiple constraints, and the system is nonlinear and self-organizing. A small, strategic change in one constraint—such as balance, sensory input, or a task demand—can push the entire system to reorganize, producing a new motor pattern. This is why slight shifts can lead to big changes in how a movement is performed: the change acts as a trigger that moves the system from one stable pattern (an attractor) to another. In practice, this means you can foster new motor behaviors by adjusting one factor just enough—for example, a subtle change in trunk support, a different visual cue, or a gentler perturbation from the riding environment. In hippotherapy, the horse’s rhythmic movement provides a controlled perturbation that can destabilize the current pattern just enough to encourage exploration and transition to more advanced motor strategies. Genetics or large, global changes outside the system don’t capture this idea, because motor development hinges on how many constraints interact and how small perturbations can reorganize those interactions into new behaviors.