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Postural complexity differs between infant born full term and preterm during the development of early behaviors
Stacey C Dusing1, Theresa A Izzo2, Leroy R Thacker3
1Motor Development Lab, Department of Physical Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States.
Early Human Development
|February 4, 2014
Summary
Infants born preterm exhibit less complex postural control than full-term infants, impacting early motor skill development. These crucial differences in postural control are not detected by standard clinical assessments.
Area of Science:
- Developmental neuroscience
- Motor control research
- Pediatric developmental assessment
Background:
- Postural control differences are observed between preterm and full-term infants in early weeks.
- It remains unclear if these early postural control disparities persist and affect subsequent developmental behaviors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To longitudinally compare changes in postural control variability.
- To examine postural control during the development of head control and reaching.
- To compare infants born preterm and full-term.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal assessment of postural variability using center of pressure displacement (root mean squared displacement and approximate entropy) from birth to 6 months.
- Included 18 preterm infants (mean gestational age 28.3±3.1 weeks) and compared to existing data from 22 full-term infants.
- Quantified head control and reaching development through behavioral coding.
Main Results:
- Significant group differences in postural complexity were found during head control and reaching development.
- Infants born preterm demonstrated more repetitive and less adaptive postural control strategies compared to full-term infants.
- Both groups showed changes in postural complexity as skills developed.
Conclusions:
- Preterm infants displayed reduced early postural complexity compared to full-term infants.
- Standard clinical assessments failed to detect these early postural control differences.
- Altered postural control in preterm infants influenced their skill development within the first six months of life.
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