Eight Month Motor Outcome in Cocaine/Opiate Exposed Infants 50

Abstract

As an ancillary study to the NICHD multisite Maternal Lifestyles (MLS) study, we administered the Posture and Fine Motor Assessment of Infants(PFMAI) to eight month old infants at the Providence site. The 32 item PFMAI measures quality of overall fine and gross motor skill acquisition in summary scores: the quality of reaching and grasping of different objects, and mobility/stability in prone/supine, sitting, quadruped and standing. It was validated in a normative mid-western sample of preterm and term infants. The purpose of this study was to define the impact of prenatal cocaine/opiate exposure on gross and fine motor development. The sample included 29 infants exposed to cocaine/opiates in utero (EXP) and 38 comparison infants not exposed to cocaine/opiates in utero (COMP). The two groups were similar in birth weight and gender. Background exposure to alcohol, marijuana or tobacco occurred in both groups. T-test results showed no significant differences between EXP and COMP on fine motor or gross motor overall or subscale scores. The fine motor (FM) and gross motor (GM) summary scores were similar between the MLS EXP and COMP groups and the Ohio sample as shown below.