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Effect of a developmental program on motor performance in infants born preterm
1Curtin University, Perth. plekskulcha@hotmail.com
Insights
A motor developmental program significantly improved motor performance in preterm infants. This intervention offers beneficial effects for enhancing early motor skills in high-risk infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Preterm infants often exhibit delayed motor development compared to full-term infants.
- Early intervention is crucial for optimizing motor outcomes in preterm populations.
- Standard care may not fully address the unique motor needs of preterm infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a structured motor developmental program for preterm infants.
- To compare the motor performance of preterm infants receiving an intervention versus standard care.
- To assess the impact of the program on motor development trajectories from term equivalent to four months adjusted age.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial design was employed with 84 preterm infants.
- Infants were allocated to either a control group or an intervention group.
- Motor performance was assessed monthly using the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) by blinded assessors.
Main Results:
- All groups demonstrated linear trends in motor performance progression over time.
- The intervention group exhibited the most significant improvements in motor performance.
- Statistical analysis (ANOVA and Scheffé comparisons) confirmed significant differences favoring the intervention group.
Conclusions:
- The motor developmental program positively impacts motor performance in preterm infants.
- Early, targeted interventions can enhance motor skill acquisition in this vulnerable population.
- The findings support the implementation of such programs for preterm infants to improve developmental trajectories.
Abstract:
A randomised controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of a motor developmental program in improving motor performance in Thai infants born preterm. Eighty-four preterm born infants were randomly assigned to either a control or intervention group. Additionally, 27 low-risk preterm infants were included forming a comparative group for this study. From term equivalent age to four months adjusted age, all infants had their motor performance assessed monthly with the Test of Infant Motor Performance by one of the physiotherapist research assistants blind to group assignment and infants' adjusted age. In addition, the intervention infants received a developmental program at each monthly visit. Motor performance for each group plotted against age revealed linear trends of progression. The intervention group showed the greatest improvement. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA revealed significant differences across age and among groups. Scheffé comparisons indicated that the mean differences between each pair of the three groups were significant and supported the finding of greater improvement of the intervention infants over the control group. Thus the results suggest that the intervention program is likely to have beneficial effects when offered to a similar population of preterm born infants.