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Reaching behavior in preterm infants during the first year of life: a systematic review
Elaine Leonezi Guimarães1, Andréa Baraldi Cunha, Daniele Almeida Soares
1Dept. of Applied Physiotherapy, Federal University of Triangulo Mineiro, Uberaba-MG, Brazil.
Insights
Preterm infants exhibit distinct reaching strategies compared to full-term infants within their first year. Further research is needed to understand factors influencing these early motor skills.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Motor Control
- Infant Motor Development
Background:
- Reaching is a fundamental motor skill crucial for infant development.
- Understanding early reaching in preterm infants is vital for identifying developmental differences.
- Limited research exists on factors influencing reaching in premature infants.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and discuss existing literature on reaching behaviors in preterm infants.
- To compare the reaching strategies of preterm infants with those of full-term infants.
- To identify gaps in knowledge regarding intrinsic and extrinsic influences on early reaching.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature review of studies on infant reaching.
- Searched databases using keywords: reaching, grasping, preterm, premature, motor skills, infant, movement, premature birth, hands.
- Included studies regardless of publication year; 9 studies were selected from 135 identified.
Main Results:
- Preterm infants utilize specific strategies, including bimanual reaches and reaches with less rectilinear trajectories.
- They exhibit reaches with semi-open/open hands, lower speeds, increased movement units, and variable postural muscle activity.
- Differences in reaching strategies between preterm and full-term infants were observed.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants demonstrate unique motor adaptations in their reaching patterns.
- Current understanding of intrinsic and extrinsic factors affecting preterm infant reaching is limited.
- Further investigation is required to fully elucidate the developmental trajectory of reaching in premature infants.
Abstract:
The aim of this systematic literature review was to examine and discuss studies that investigated reaching in preterm infants during the first year of life. Databases were searched using keywords such as reaching, grasping, preterm, and premature, in addition to specific terms from the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) (motor skills, infant, movement, premature birth, hands) regardless of year of publication. One hundred thirty-five studies were identified, 9 of which were selected. The results showed that preterm infants adopt strategies (bimanual reaches and reaches with less rectilinear trajectories toward an object in motion, reaches with semi-open and open hand, reaches at lower speeds, with increased movement units, and variable postural muscle activity) compared with full-term infants. However, the results on how intrinsic factors (e.g., prematurity) and extrinsic factors (e.g., body position, physical properties of the object) influence early reaching are still limited.
