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A systematic review of the effects of early intervention on motor development
Cornill H Blauw-Hospers1, Mijna Hadders-Algra
1Department of Neurology-Developmental Neurology, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
Insights
Early intervention for infants with motor disorders shows varied results. Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) may offer temporary benefits, while specific developmental programs aid motor outcomes post-term age.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Rehabilitation Medicine
Background:
- Infants at high risk for or with developmental motor disorders require timely interventions.
- Early intervention is crucial for optimizing motor development outcomes.
- Understanding the efficacy of different intervention types is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review the effect of early interventions on motor development in high-risk infants.
- To compare the effectiveness of interventions initiated between birth and 18 months corrected age.
- To differentiate intervention benefits based on infant age (preterm vs. post-term).
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 34 studies meeting selection criteria.
- Analysis of interventions within neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and post-NICU settings.
- Evaluation of study methodological quality, focusing on high-quality studies.
Main Results:
- Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) may provide temporary motor development benefits in NICU settings.
- Neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) principles did not show a beneficial effect on motor development.
- Specific or general developmental programs positively impacted motor outcomes in post-term infants.
Conclusions:
- Intervention effectiveness varies between preterm and term-aged infants.
- Preterm infants may benefit from interventions mimicking the intrauterine environment, such as NIDCAP.
- Post-term infants show positive motor development with specific or general developmental programs.
Abstract:
We present a systematic review on the effect of early intervention, starting between birth and a corrected age of 18 months, on motor development in infants at high risk for, or with, developmental motor disorders. Thirty-four studies fulfilled the selection criteria. Seventeen studies were performed within the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment. Eight studies had a high methodological quality. They evaluated various forms of intervention. Results indicated that the Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) intervention might have a temporary positive effect on motor development. Twelve of the 17 post-NICU studies had a high methodological quality. They addressed the effect of neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) and specific or general developmental programmes. The results showed that intervention in accordance with the principles of NDT does not have a beneficial effect on motor development. They also indicated that specific or general developmental programmes can have a positive effect on motor outcome. We concluded that the type of intervention that might be beneficial for infants at preterm age differs from the type that is effective in infants who have reached at least term age. Preterm infants seem to benefit most from intervention that aims at mimicking the intrauterine environment, such as NIDCAP intervention. After term age, intervention by means of specific or general developmental programmes has a positive effect on motor development.
