Individual differences in postural control and cognitive development in preterm infants

This study was aimed to examine whether individual differences in postural control at 6 months of age could predict cognitive development and attention in relatively healthy preterm infants 6–18 months later. Three groups of infants were identified on the basis of a behavioral observation during an...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Infant behavior & development 2003-02, Vol.26 (1), p.14-26
Main Authors: Wijnroks, Lex, Veldhoven, Nicolette van
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biological and medical sciences
Child development
Cognitive development
Developmental psychology
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Newborn. Infant
Postural control
Preterm infants
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
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Summary:This study was aimed to examine whether individual differences in postural control at 6 months of age could predict cognitive development and attention in relatively healthy preterm infants 6–18 months later. Three groups of infants were identified on the basis of a behavioral observation during an exploration task: infants with an adequate postural control ( N=33), infants who showed extension of the elbows consistently ( N=23), and infants who demonstrated clear signs of hyperextension of neck and trunk ( N=9). In contrast to infants with an adequate postural control, infants who showed signs of hyperextension or elbow extension scored significantly lower on several cognitive measures (Bayley mental scale and tasks for problem solving) and were significantly more often not attending to a task, 6–18 months later. This study showed that individual differences in postural control could predict later cognitive development and inattention of infants who were born prematurely.
ISSN:0163-6383
1879-0453
DOI:10.1016/S0163-6383(02)00166-2