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Assessment of motor development in very low birth weight infants
C J Simons1, M Mandich, S K Ritchie
1Department of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, Uniontown 15401, USA. cjs6@psu.edu
Insights
Very low birth weight (VLBW) infants show distinct motor development pathways. Fine-motor skills emerge before gross-motor skills, with different developmental timelines compared to full-term infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatal Research
- Motor Development Studies
Background:
- Assessing motor development in very low birth weight (VLBW) infants presents unique challenges.
- Traditional assessment tools may not accurately reflect the developmental trajectories of VLBW infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the fine- and gross-motor acquisitions of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants during their first 12 months.
- To evaluate motor development without traditional assessment assumptions.
Main Methods:
- A prospective study of 89 VLBW infants.
- Motor development assessed neonatally and at 4, 8, and 12 months chronological age.
- Fine- and gross-motor items adapted from standardized instruments.
Main Results:
- Fine- and gross-motor systems were relatively independent before 8 months.
- Early fine-motor control developed with minimal gross-motor progress.
- Gross-motor milestones were achieved by 12 months after fine-motor control was established.
Conclusions:
- VLBW and full-term infants achieve similar motor milestones but via different developmental pathways.
- Standardized assessments for full-term infants may not be optimal for VLBW infants.
- Understanding distinct VLBW developmental trajectories is crucial for accurate assessment.
Objective:
The purpose of the current investigation was to describe the fine- and gross-motor acquisitions of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants during their first 12 months without imposing traditional assessment assumptions.
Study Design:
A nonrandomized, prospective study was used for a sample consisting of 89 VLBW infants whose motor development was assessed neonatally and at 4, 8, and 12 months chronological age. Fine- and gross-motor assessment items were selected and adapted from three standardized assessment instruments.
Results:
The fine- and gross-motor systems of development appeared to be relatively independent of one another before the 8-month assessment. Thus, early fine-motor control appeared to develop almost to the exclusion of gross-motor progress. Once fine-motor control was established by 8 months, numerous gross-motor milestones followed and were present at 12 months chronological age.
Conclusion:
Current and previous data continue to define a developmental picture in which VLBW and fullterm infants achieve the same fine- and gross-motor milestones; however, the developmental pathways whereby milestones are achieved, during at least the first 12 months, appear to be different. Accordingly, applying instruments standardized on fullterm infants to the assessment of VLBW babies may not be serving us well on a number of different issues.
