Parent and occupational therapist collaboration in the neonatal intensive care unit

Medical care of infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is so complex that professionals have been almost exclusively responsible for providing care to the infants and information to their families. Although federal law now mandates early intervention programs and service providers to include families in decision making and treatment implementation for their children, family-centered care has generally not been implemented in the NICU. This article offers suggestions for occupational therapists from members of the Parent Connection, an NICU parent support group. They state that a therapist can have the greatest effect on an infant's development by helping the parents develop skills to nurture their infant the way that they choose.