Abstract
Touch being the first sense to develop in utero, it plays an essential role in the perceptual-cognitive development in infancy. The study of tactile skills in premature infants is a relevant approach to better understand the early development of touch. After briefly summarizing some elements of neurophysiological substrates of passive and active touch, namely the somatosensory system and its early development, this article describes, first, a review of experimental work on early skills of premature infants in both passive touch and active touch, and secondly, a summary of studies about two programs of developmental care in which touch is an essential component: the massage therapy and the kangaroo mother care. Overall, studies show in premature infants the occurrence of 1. discrimination subsequent to passive tactile stimulation from 30 weeks of gestation; 2. active manual discrimination between two different object shapes from 28 weeks and finally 3. beneficial effects on their neurodevelopmental future after receiving a massage therapy or the kangaroo mother care.
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