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Some milestones in premature infants at 6 to 24 months
Insights
Premature infants showed developmental delays in sitting, crawling, and walking milestones, particularly those linked to maternal separation. Birth weight also influenced crawling and teething onset in premature babies.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatology
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Understanding infant developmental milestones is crucial for identifying potential delays.
- Premature infants often face unique challenges in their developmental trajectory compared to full-term infants.
- The impact of prematurity and birth weight on the timing of key developmental milestones requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the onset of 12 developmental milestones between premature and full-term infants.
- To investigate if premature infants experience delays in milestones related to maternal separation.
- To examine the relationship between birth weight and the onset of specific milestones in premature infants.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study tracking 12 developmental milestones from 6 to 24 months of age.
- Comparison of milestone onset data between a cohort of premature infants and a cohort of full-term infants.
- Statistical analysis to identify significant differences in milestone acquisition timing.
Main Results:
- Premature infants demonstrated significant delays in achieving sitting, crawling, and walking milestones, especially those associated with maternal separation.
- Crawling and teething onset were also significantly affected by birth weight in the premature group.
- No significant differences were observed in other milestones, including cognitive and social-emotional markers.
Conclusions:
- Prematurity is associated with delays in gross motor milestones, particularly those influenced by maternal separation.
- Birth weight is a critical factor influencing the timing of crawling and teething in premature infants.
- Early identification and targeted interventions are essential for premature infants to optimize developmental outcomes.
Abstract:
The onset of 12 milestones that occur from 6 to 24 months of age was studied in premature and full-term infants. The milestones are: sitting, crawling, teething, walking, pursuit of a hidden sound-making object, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, "no" gesture, words, phrases, speech "no," and speech "yes." It was hypothesized that premature infants would show delay in acquiring milestones related to time separated from mother. Compared to full-terms, the prematures had no significant difference in the means for the onset of the milestones except for: sitting, crawling and walking related to maternal separation; and crawling and teething, related to birth weight.