CONTINUITY OF MOTOR DEVELOPMENT IN FULL-TERM AND PRETERM INFANTS FROM 4 TO 18 MONTHS OF AGE

Yohanes Purwanto, Erick Chandra, Chun-Wun Hsieh, Po-Nien Tsao, Ting-An Yen, Wei- Chih Liao, Wei-Jane Chen, Chin-Yi Liao, Yung-jen Hsu, Suh-Fang Jeng
Purpose:

This study examined the relationship between motor functions in various positions between 4 to 12 months and subsequent gross and fine motor skills at 18 months in full-term and preterm infants.

Methods:

This study enrolled 60 full-term and 38 preterm infants for prospective developmental follow-up from 4 to 18 months of age (corrected for prematurity). Infants were examined for motor performance in prone, supine, sitting, and standing positions using the AIMS at a clinical laboratory at 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months, followed by the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2) assessment at 18 months to examine their stationary, locomotion, object manipulation, grasping, and visual-motor integration functions. Three physiotherapists served as the examiners, and they achieved high reliability with the results of an experienced physiotherapist (intraclass correlation coefficients >0.85). Multiple linear regression models were used to examine the relations of the AIMS subscale and total scores with the PDMS-2 scores at 18 months in full-term and preterm infants. 

Results:

Thirty-seven full-term and 30 preterm infants returned at least once for the AIMS and the PDMS-2 assessment. The follow-up rate of the AIMS assessment was 52.8%－72.2% for full-term infants and 40%－76.7% for preterm infants. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that a higher AIMS standing score at 4 to 12 months was significantly associated with a higher locomotion standard score (B [SE] = 0.25 [0.12], P0.05) and gross motor quotient (B [SE] = 1.43 [0.72], P=0.05) as well as a higher total motor quotient (B [SE] = 1.62 [0.77], P0.05) of the PDMS-2 at 18 months in full-term and preterm infants after adjustment for the effects of all interaction terms.

Conclusion(s):

Full-term and preterm infants performing better standing ability at 4 to 12 months are likely to show better gross motor outcomes, particularly in locomotion skills, at 18 months. 

Implications:

Parents may incorporate standing activities early in rearing practice to enhance their infants’ later motor outcomes.

Funding acknowledgements:
This study was funded by the National Science and Technology Council (MOST 110-2314-B-002-055-MY3)
Keywords:
Motor development
Infant motor assessment
Continuity
Primary topic:
Paediatrics
Did this work require ethics approval?:
Yes
Name the institution and ethics committee that approved your work:
National Taiwan University Hospital
Provide the ethics approval number:
202012089RINB
Has any of this material been/due to be published or presented at another national or international conference prior to the World Physiotherapy Congress 2025?:
No

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