Effects of Early Intervention and Stimulation on the Preterm Infant

Abstract

To test the hypothesis that early intervention can enhance the development of high-risk preterm infants, a prescribed multimodal sensory enrichment program, within a regional neonatal intensive care unit, was designed and implemented. Twenty-eight appropriate-for-gestational age infants with birth weights between 1,200 and 1,800 gm were selected for study. To prevent control group contamination by the enrichment procedure the first 14 infants were designated as the control group, and the next 14 as the treatment group. Treated infants had significantly higher developmental status than control infants, as measured by the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, at six months past the maternal expected date of confinement (F = 14.98, P < .001, and F = 16.46, P < .001 for the mental and motor scales, respectively). Mean infant weight gain per day and mean total weight gain during the hospitalization were not significantly different for the two groups although the treatment group received significantly less calories per kilogram per day than the control group (F = 9.02 P < .006). Our data suggest that a prescribed intervention program for high-risk preterm infants appears to enhance the quality of development as measured at six months past the expected date of confinement. Further studies are necessary to determine the long-term value of early intervention and the apparent ability of infants receiving an enrichment program to utilize calories more efficiently than control infants.