Effectiveness Of Motor Control Based Early Intervention On Developmental Performance Of Preterm Born Infant: A Case Report

Abstract

We reported a case of a preterm-born male child with developmental delay. He was born prematurely out of twin pregnancies through C-section and had a low birth weight. He was admitted to the NICU and had episodes of seizures. After discharge during follow-up, at the corrected age of 7 months, the physiotherapy treatment was given. The treatment protocol was based on motor control concepts and we have taken Gross motor function measures and Sensory profile as outcome measures in pretreatment and posttreatment conditions. In our treatment protocol, we have integrated motor control training of trunk with upper limb tasks, and use of sensory input to get appropriate motor output. This enhanced the stability of the trunk. The motor control task includes the hierarchical theory concepts, based on this task, the treatment plan is carried out. The ball pool and vestibular swings were used to enhance the sensory input. The child has shown drastic improvement in sitting as assessed on Gross motor function measures and sensory processing was also improved on sensory profile. In conclusion, premature-born infants with developmental delay after NICU stay can be treated with motor control-based training to improve the sensory and motor development of the child. Physiotherapists can focus on using motor control training as a treatment approach for the developmental training of preterm-born infants.