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Object engagement and manipulation in extremely preterm and full term infants at 6 months of age

Mariagrazia Zuccarini1, Alessandra Sansavini1, Jana M Iverson2

  • 1Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Via Berti Pichat 5, 40127 Bologna, Italy.

Research in Developmental Disabilities
|April 22, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Extremely low gestational age (ELGA) infants show differences in early object exploration compared to full-term infants. These motor differences impact psychomotor development and may require early intervention.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Infant Motor Development

Background:

  • Preterm infants, particularly those extremely low gestational age (ELGA; <28 weeks gestational age), often exhibit motor delays.
  • Early object exploration is crucial for cognitive and language development, yet it is understudied in ELGA infants.
  • Understanding object exploration differences can inform early intervention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare early object exploration behaviors between ELGA and full-term (FT) infants at 6 months corrected age.
  • To investigate the relationship between object engagement patterns and psychomotor development in these infant groups.
  • To identify potential targets for early intervention in ELGA infants.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 20 ELGA and 20 FT infants during a 5-minute mother-infant play session.
  • Detailed analysis of object engagement: visual vs. manual, visual engagement (no act vs. reach), manual engagement (passive vs. active), and active manipulation (mouthing, transferring, banging, etc.).
  • Assessment of infant development using the Griffiths Mental Development Scales (0-2 years).

Main Results:

  • ELGA infants demonstrated more visual engagement and less manual engagement with objects compared to FT infants.
  • ELGA infants showed reduced active manipulation, including mouthing and turning/rotating objects.
  • Lower scores in general psychomotor development, eye-hand coordination, and performance abilities were observed in ELGA infants, with a correlation between manual engagement and psychomotor development.

Conclusions:

  • ELGA infants exhibit distinct patterns of early object exploration, characterized by reduced manual engagement and active manipulation.
  • These motor differences are associated with delays in psychomotor development, eye-hand coordination, and performance abilities.
  • Early assessment of action schemes and targeted intervention programs are recommended to support motor development in ELGA infants.

Keywords:
6 months-old-infantsExtremely Low Gestational Age preterm infantsobject manipulation

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