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Spontaneous movements of preterm infants is associated with outcome of gross motor development

Saori Miyagishima1, Tadayoshi Asaka2, Kaori Kamatsuka1

  • 1Division of Rehabilitation, Sapporo Medical University Hospital, Sapporo, Japan.

Brain & Development
|May 5, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Early spontaneous limb movements in preterm infants predict better gross motor skills. This study highlights the importance of antigravity movements for development at 6 and 12 months corrected age.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal development
  • Pediatric motor control
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Preterm infants often experience developmental delays.
  • Gross motor development is crucial for overall child health.
  • Early assessment of motor skills is vital for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between early spontaneous limb movements and later gross motor development in preterm infants.
  • To identify predictive factors for motor outcomes in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal cohort study of preterm infants (<1500g birth weight).
  • 3D motion capture assessed antigravity limb movements at 3 months corrected age.
  • Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) evaluated gross motor skills at 6 and 12 months corrected age.

Main Results:

  • Spontaneous limb movements at 3 months significantly correlated with AIMS scores for Prone and Sitting at 6 months.
  • Early movements also predicted Sitting and Standing abilities at 12 months corrected age.

Conclusions:

  • Better antigravity spontaneous movements in early infancy are strong predictors of improved gross motor development in preterm infants.
  • These findings support early motor assessments for identifying infants at risk for developmental challenges.
Abstract

Keywords:
Gross motor developmentPretermSpontaneous movements

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