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Infants Born Preterm Demonstrate Impaired Exploration of Their Bodies and Surfaces Throughout the First 2 Years of

Iryna Babik1, James Cole Galloway2, Michele A Lobo3

  • 1Department of Physical Therapy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware.

Physical Therapy
|June 13, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Preterm infants exhibit developmental differences in non-object-oriented exploratory behaviors compared to full-term infants. These early behaviors are crucial for cognitive development and may require targeted interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Infant Motor Development
  • Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics

Background:

  • Non-object-oriented exploratory behaviors are foundational for infant learning and cognitive development.
  • Developmental trajectories of these behaviors, particularly in preterm infants, are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To longitudinally compare non-object-oriented exploratory behaviors in full-term and preterm infants.
  • To identify developmental differences in these behaviors between groups.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study following 24 full-term and 30 preterm infants from birth to 24 months.
  • Behavioral coding of non-object-oriented exploratory actions in prone, supine, and sitting positions.
  • Hierarchical linear modeling to analyze developmental trajectories and compare groups.

Main Results:

  • Preterm infants demonstrated poorer postural control, less midline behavior, and reduced hand-to-mouth/visual-motor actions.
  • Preterm infants exhibited fewer exploratory behavior bouts, less behavioral variability, and fewer combined behaviors.
  • Asymmetrical one-handed fisting was more prevalent in preterm infants.

Conclusions:

  • Significant differences exist in early non-object-oriented exploratory behaviors between preterm and full-term infants.
  • These behavioral differences may impact later reaching, object exploration, and cognitive skills.
  • Early interventions should focus on assessing and addressing these foundational behaviors in preterm infants.
Abstract

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