Title: Early gross motor development of preterm infants according to the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Author: van Haastert IC, de Vries LS, Helders PJ, Jongmans MJ. Journal: J Pediatr; 2006 Nov; 149(5):617-22. PubMed ID: 17095330. Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To systematically examine gross motor development in the first 18 months of life of preterm infants. STUDY DESIGN: A total of 800 preterm infants (356 boys), ages between 1 and 18 months and corrected for degree of prematurity, were assessed with the use of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. RESULTS: Comparison of the mean Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores of the preterm infants with the norm-referenced values derived from term infants revealed that as a group, the preterm infants scored significantly lower at all age levels, even with full correction for degree of prematurity. CONCLUSIONS: In general, preterm infants exhibit different gross motor developmental trajectories compared with term infants in the first 18 months of life. The gross motor developmental profile of preterm infants may reflect a variant of typical gross motor development, which seems most likely to be specific for this population. As a consequence, adjusted norms should be used for proper evaluation and clinical decision-making in relation to preterm infants.[Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]
