Early Intervention Involving Specific Task-Environment-Participation (STEP) Protocol for Infants at Risk: A Feasibility Study

Abstract

Aims: To verify the feasibility and preliminary effects of the STEP protocol, an intervention based on specific motor skills, environmental factors and participation, in infants at biological risk. Methods: Twenty-eight at-risk infants (STEP Protocol = 14; Standard Intervention = 14), aged 3–9 months and at risk for developmental delay. The following outcomes were assessed: motor skills (Alberta Infant Motor Scale-AIMS); frequency and involvement of participation (Young Children’s Participation and Environment Measure-YC-PEM), and home environment opportunities (Affordances in the Home Environment for Motor Development-AHEMD-IS). For both groups, interventions were provided by parents. The intervention for group was based on the following principles: (1) standard intervention: stimulation of motor skills; (2) STEP: stimulation of motor skills, participation, mother-infant interaction, environmental enrichment. A mean comparison test was applied to verify difference between groups after the intervention. Results: The protocol showed good retention and recruitment rates. The STEP group had significantly higher outcomes after intervention on the AIMS (p = 0.014); frequency (p = 0.02) and engagement (p = 0.03) in participation, when compared to standard intervention. Conclusions: The results showed that the STEP protocol is feasible, and presents better results compared to the standard intervention, which reinforces the importance of promoting participation, specific motor skills and family involvement.