Correlations between gross motor performance of preterm and fulterm infants at four months of age with the gross motor performance and functional abilities in preschool children (between two and four years old)

• Grant number: 11/17505-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2012
• End date: December 31, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Eloisa Tudella
• Grantee: Thaís Borgheti de Figueiredo
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The preterm infant motor development is the subject of many researches. The first year of life is important for the child's global development; however it is on the second year of age that begins the process of refining gross and fine motor skills. This study aims to determine whether there are some correlations between the gross motor performance of preterm and full term infants at four months of age with the gross motor performance in preschool children (between two and four years of age) and to check whether preterm birth affects the performance of functional skills and gross motor performance in children of preschool age. In order to do that, there will be assessed 20 infants (10 full term and 10 preterm), a single time, by the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) to measure the gross motor performance of the infant, and the Pediatric Evaluation and Disability Inventory (PEDI), in order to measure the functional abilities of these children. The PEDI will be administered as a questionnaire with parents/caregivers. The total raw score of GMFM and PEDI obtained during the assessment will be compared to the normative scores of the instruments themselves and between groups of preterm and full term infants. The raw score of GMFM will be compared to the raw score of the TIMP (applied at four months of age) in order to determine if there are some correlation between the motor performance of full term and preterm infants at four months old and in preschool age. (AU)