Clinical Pediatrics: Open Access
Open Access

Abstract

Effectiveness of Parent Delivered Early Movement Experience on Motor Skill Development in Preterm Low Birth Weight Infants: An Experimental Pre-Post Study

Vinuta Deshpande*

Purpose: The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Parent-Initiated Early Motor Enrichment (P-EME) on motor skill development in preterm low birth weight infants.

Design and methods: Sixteen parent-infant dyads were recruited for a pre-post experimental study, with the experimental group receiving six weeks of P-EME activities, such as visualizing/tracking toys, hand-to-hand and handto- foot play, assisted kicking, prone play, head control practice, and sitting with upper trunk support. The Peabody developmental motor scales-2 was used as an outcome measure.

Results: The results showed significant improvements in both Gross Motor Quotient (GMQ) and Fine Motor Quotient (FMQ) after treatment, particularly in very low birth weight infants who had poor fine motor development.

Conclusion: The study suggests that P-EME can facilitate motor development in preterm low birth weight infants and reinforces the importance of parental engagement in early intervention services. However, a robust clinical trial is necessary to establish the present findings.

Published Date: 2025-06-13; Received Date: 2023-10-25