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Updated: Jun 11, 2026
Experimental Methods to Study Human Postural Control
Published on: September 11, 2019
Postural control of pre-term infants at 6 and 12 months corrected age
Tien-Ni Wang1, Tsu-Hsin Howe, Jim Hinojosa
1Department of Occupational Therapy, New York University, New York, 10012, United States.
Insights
Pre-term infants show delayed postural control compared to full-term infants. Medical complications are key predictors, highlighting the importance of early follow-up for monitoring infant motor development.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Motor Control
Background:
- Pre-term infants face elevated risks for motor disabilities.
- Postural control is fundamental to motor development, rapidly evolving in the first year.
- Immature motor systems in pre-term infants may impact early postural development.
Purpose of the Study:
- Identify prognostic factors for postural control in pre-term infants.
- Compare postural control between pre-term and full-term infants.
- Determine predictors of postural control development.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective review of 93 pre-term infants (birth weight <1501g).
- Data collected from a preemie clinical follow-up program.
- Analysis of postural control at 6 and 12 months adjusted age.
Main Results:
- Pre-term infants exhibited poorer postural control than full-term infants at 6 and 12 months adjusted age.
- Neonatal Medical Index (medical complications) was the strongest predictor of postural control.
- Postural control at 6 months predicted development at 12 months, even after accounting for prognostic factors.
Conclusions:
- Biological and social environmental factors influence pre-term infant postural control.
- Early postural control development at 6 months predicts later development at 12 months.
- Early follow-up assessments at 6 months adjusted age are valuable for pre-term infants.
Background:
Pre-term infants are at high risk for motor disabilities. Postural control, the basis for motor development, develops rapidly during the first year of life. An early start to extra-uterine life with an immature motor system may influence a pre-term infant's postural control.
Aims:
To identify important prognostic factors and determine the difference in postural control between full-term and pre-term infants.
Method:
Medical records of 93 pre-term infants with birth weight of less than 1501g (mean birth weight=1136.03+/-243.86g; mean gestational age=29.14+/-2.78 weeks) were reviewed. Data was collected from the preemie clinical follow-up program at the National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan.
Results:
Results demonstrated that pre-term infants had poorer postural control than full-term infants both at 6 and 12 months adjusted age, and that medical complication as measured by the Neonatal Medical Index was the best predictor of postural control in pre-term infants in the first year of life. In addition, our findings confirmed that the development of postural control at 6 months adjusted age predicts the development of postural control at 12 months adjusted age after controlling for prognostic factors.
Conclusions:
Both biological and social environmental factors appeared to be associated with pre-term infants' postural control at 6 and 12 months adjusted age. The development of postural control at 6 months adjusted age predicted the development of postural control at 12 months adjusted age. This suggested the value of early follow-up examinations at 6 months adjusted age.
