The course and support of sensorimotor development in a premature infant

Abstract

Prematurely born babies account for nearly 7% of all infants coming into the world, and there are more and more extremely small premature babies being born. A report covering 184 countries shows that each year, 14.9 million children are born ahead of time. Maintaining life is the fi rst task faced by the medical service. The issue regarding development and the future of these children is the next stage of interest for both doctors and a number of specialists from related fields. The aim of the study was to review literature concerning premature newborns in the fi eld of sensorimotor development within the fi rst years of life, taking into account the hazards and possible forms of early support. An attempt was made to present the current state of knowledge in the scope of recommended and used methods of conduct as well as to assess the long-term effects of undertaken interventions. A review of Polish-, English- and French-language literature was conducted, which concerned sensory motor development, introduction of early rehabilitation and support programmes for premature infants. Research papers and review works from the last 10 years included in databases (PubMed and websites of Polish medical publishing houses) were analysed. The works were searched using the following keywords: premature baby, sensorimotor development. The growing group of preemies requires adapted care. To counteract the indicated threats, a therapeutic intervention should be introduced precisely and in accordance with a child’s needs. There is a need to broaden knowledge about development in this group of children and to create a proven developmental support system that would be based on long-term research. Currently, support for babies born too early is heterogeneous, and the research carried out does not allow to design a single support model or clearly defi ned standards of conduct. premature infant, sensorimotor stimulation, rehabilitation 24 Jan. 2017; Accepted: 22 Nov. 2018