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Pattern and rate of motor skill acquisition among preterm infants during the first four months corrected age
Elaine P Raniero1, Eloisa Tudella, Rosana S Mattos
1Early Diagnosis and Intervention Program, Araraquara City Hall, Araraquara, SP, Brasil. laristhll@hotmail.com
Insights
Preterm infants show similar motor development patterns and a faster early acquisition rate compared to full-term infants. Early toy stimulation is recommended for preterm infants to enhance motor skill exploration.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatal Research
- Motor Skill Acquisition
Background:
- Preterm infants often exhibit developmental differences compared to full-term peers.
- Understanding motor skill acquisition in preterm infants is crucial for early intervention and developmental support.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the motor skill acquisition pattern and rate in preterm infants versus full-term infants from birth to four months corrected age.
- To evaluate the necessity of prematurity correction and inform early intervention strategies.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study involving 12 healthy preterm and 10 healthy full-term infants.
- Monthly assessments using the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) from 0 to 4 months corrected age.
Main Results:
- Both groups showed increasing motor performance over time, with preterm infants scoring higher between 1-4 months.
- Full-term infants had a higher motor acquisition rate from birth to 1 month compared to 3-4 months.
- Caregivers of preterm infants initiated toy stimulation earlier.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants demonstrate a similar sequence of motor abilities as typical infants.
- Preterm infants exhibit a faster motor acquisition rate in the early neonatal period.
- Early toy stimulation at one month is recommended for preterm infants, potentially negating the need for prematurity correction in some cases.
Objectives:
this study aimed to characterize the pattern and rate of motor skill acquisition among preterm infants from newborn to four months corrected age, in comparison with a group of full-term infants.
Methods:
twelve healthy preterm infants (mean gestational age=33.6 weeks ± 1.25) and 10 healthy full-term infants (mean gestational age=39.1 weeks ± 0.73) participated in the study. These infants were assessed monthly (0-4 months of age) using the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP).
Results:
the motor performance pattern increased over the months in both groups, with variability in the total scores at all ages. The preterm group presented a higher mean score than shown by the full-term group between one and four months of age. In the full-term group, the motor acquisition rate was higher from age newborn to one month than from age three to four months. It was also found that the caregivers of the preterm infants began toy stimulation earlier than did the caregivers of the full-term infants. Both groups presented mean scores below the TIMP values.
Conclusions:
the preterm infants presented a pattern of motor development similar to the typical pattern regarding the sequence of abilities achieved. The preterm infants also presented a faster rate during the neonate period at one month of age. This suggests that correction for prematurity is unnecessary for preterm infants with these characteristics and that follow-up programs should instruct parents and caregivers to begin stimulation with toys at one month of age, thereby providing early exploration of various motor skills.
