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General movements of preterm infants in relation to their motor competence between 5 and 6 years

Breda Sustersic1, Katja Sustar, Darja Paro-Panjan

  • 1Developmental Department, Health Centre, Domzale, Slovenia.

European Journal of Paediatric Neurology : EJPN : Official Journal of the European Paediatric Neurology Society
|June 26, 2012
PubMed

Insights

General movements (GMs) assessed in infancy show higher sensitivity for detecting motor problems in the fidgety period compared to the writhing period. However, the specificity of GMs for predicting later motor skills remains low.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Control

Background:

  • Early identification of children at high risk for cerebral palsy is established.
  • Predicting minor motor deficits in early childhood remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the correlation between the quality of general movements (GMs) from term to 20 weeks postterm and motor competence at 5-6 years of age.
  • To assess the predictive value of GMs for later motor development in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • 45 preterm infants were assessed using Prechtl's general movements (GMs) method.
  • Motor competence was evaluated using the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC) between 5 and 6 years of age.
  • Correlations between GM quality and M-ABC scores were analyzed.

Main Results:

  • During the writhing period, GM sensitivity for detecting motor problems ranged from 0.67 (manual dexterity) to 0.92 (balance).
  • During the fidgety period, GM sensitivity was higher, reaching 1.00 for total impairment, manual dexterity, and ball skills.
  • Specificity of GMs for predicting later motor abilities was low at both term (0.24) and 3 months corrected age (0.21).

Conclusions:

  • General movements (GMs) demonstrate increased sensitivity in identifying motor problems during the fidgety period compared to the writhing period.
  • The specificity of GMs in predicting later motor abilities at term and fidgety age is limited.
Abstract

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