Neuromotor Development of Preterm Infants Through the First Year of Life

Physical and occupational therapists monitor the development of preterm infants graduating form neonatal intensive care units and frequently use the neuromotor development of fullterm infants as the criterion against which normality is judged. Despite the methodological problems of comparison on non-homogeneous groups, poor matching, inadequate measurement tools, and expectancy bias, the literature suggests that preterm infants develop differently from full term infants. Neither the extent nor reasons for differences and suggestions for future research are proposed. Knowledge of the variability of preterm infant neuromotor behavior should be useful to pediatric therapists aiming to identify those infants who truly are developing abnormally.