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From the first months to later ages: Early spontaneous movements and developmental outcomes in extremely low birth

Doğan Porsnok1, Bilge Nur Yardımcı-Lokmanoğlu2, Hasan Tolga Çelik3

  • 1Hacettepe University, Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Developmental and Early Physiotherapy Unit, Ankara, Türkiye; Bingöl University, Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Bingöl, Türkiye.

Early Human Development
|January 10, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants show poorer early movements and later developmental outcomes compared to normal birth weight (NBW) infants. Early movement assessments can identify ELBW infants at higher risk for developmental delays.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal development
  • Pediatric neurology
  • Developmental pediatrics

Background:

  • Extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants face significant risks for developmental problems.
  • Long-term developmental studies in ELBW infants are lacking in our country.
  • Early spontaneous movements may predict later developmental outcomes in ELBW infants.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare early spontaneous movements and later developmental outcomes between ELBW and normal birth weight (NBW) infants.
  • To investigate the association between early spontaneous movements and developmental outcomes in ELBW infants.
  • To establish predictive value of early movement assessment for long-term development in ELBW infants.

Main Methods:

  • The Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R) assessed early spontaneous movements in ELBW and NBW infants.
  • Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III) evaluated cognitive, language, and motor domains.
  • Assessments were conducted at corrected ages of 9-20 weeks (MOS-R) and 9-12 months/24-42 months (Bayley-III).

Main Results:

  • ELBW infants exhibited significantly lower MOS-R scores compared to NBW infants (p=0.017).
  • ELBW infants showed poorer cognitive (p<0.001), language (p<0.001), and motor (p<0.001) outcomes at 24-42 months.
  • MOS-R scores strongly correlated with all Bayley-III developmental domains (r=0.492-0.603, p<0.05) at both assessment periods.

Conclusions:

  • ELBW infants demonstrate lower early movement scores and later developmental outcomes than NBW infants.
  • The MOS-R is a valuable tool for identifying ELBW infants at risk for developmental impairments.
  • Early motor assessment can guide timely interventions for improving developmental trajectories in ELBW infants.
Abstract

Keywords:
Early motor repertoireExtremely low birth weight infantsGeneral movementsMotor optimality score revisedNormal birth weight infants

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