Use of chronological and adjusted ages to compare motor development of healthy preterm and fullterm infants

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R J Palisano

    Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
    |April 1, 1986
    PubMed

    Insights

    Gestational age at birth significantly impacts infant motor development. Adjusting for this age in preterm infants aligns their motor assessments with full-term peers, supporting maturational theory.

    Area of Science:

    • Developmental Pediatrics
    • Infant Motor Development
    • Gestational Age

    Background:

    • Preterm infants often exhibit developmental delays compared to full-term infants.
    • Assessing preterm infant motor skills using chronological age may misrepresent their developmental status.
    • Understanding the role of gestational age is crucial for accurate developmental assessments.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To examine how gestational age at birth influences motor development in infancy.
    • To evaluate the practice of using adjusted age for motor assessments in preterm infants.

    Main Methods:

    • A cohort of 21 healthy preterm and 23 full-term infants participated.
    • The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales were administered at 12, 15, and 18 months corrected age.
    • Motor quotients were calculated using both chronological and adjusted ages for preterm infants.

    Main Results:

    • Using chronological age, full-term infants showed significantly higher gross- and fine-motor quotients than preterm infants.
    • When adjusted age was applied to preterm infants, motor quotients between preterm and full-term groups were not significantly different.
    • This suggests gestational age is a primary factor in observed motor development differences.

    Conclusions:

    • Infant motor development is strongly influenced by gestational age at birth.
    • Adjusted age assessment for preterm infants is supported, aligning their motor development with full-term peers.
    • Findings support maturational theory and the clinical practice of age adjustment in preterm infant evaluations.

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