Assessment of Motor Development in Very Low Birth Weight Infants

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of the current investigation was to describe the fine- and gross-motor acquisitions of very low birth weight (VLBW) infants during their first 12 months without imposing traditional assessment assumptions.

STUDY DESIGN:

A nonrandomized, prospective study was used for a sample consisting of 89 VLBW infants whose motor development was assessed neonatally and at 4, 8, and 12 months chronological age. Fine- and gross-motor assessment items were selected and adapted from three standardized assessment instruments.

RESULTS:

The fine- and gross-motor systems of development appeared to be relatively independent of one another before the 8-month assessment. Thus, early fine-motor control appeared to develop almost to the exclusion of gross-motor progress. Once fine-motor control was established by 8 months, numerous gross-motor milestones followed and were present at 12 months chronological age.

CONCLUSION: Current and previous data continue to define a developmental picture in which VLBW and fullterm infants achieve the same fine- and gross-motor milestones; however, the developmental pathways whereby milestones are achieved, during at least the first 12 months, appear to be different. Accordingly, applying instruments standardized on fullterm infants to the assessment of VLBW babies may not be serving us well on a number of different issues.