Physical, Perceptual, Socio-Relational, and Affective Skills of Five-Year-Old Children Born Preterm and Full-Term According to Their Body Mass Index

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to compare the psychomotor development of five-year-old children born preterm and full term. The comparison included physical-motor, perceptual-motor, and socio-relational and affective skills. As low weight is one of the variables that most influences the psychomotor development of premature infants, a secondary aim was to analyze these skills according to their current body mass index (BMI). A prospective simple ex-post facto study was conducted. The sample consisted of 672 five-year-old children enrolled in the third year of early childhood education in the province of Albacete, Spain; 35 of them was born prematurely. Children were evaluated by their teachers using the Checklist of Psychomotor Activities (CPA). The results show that children born preterm had a lower development of their physical-motor skills. In the perceptual-motor field, premature children showed lower scores in the variables related to their body image and body schema, motor dissociation, and visual-motor coordination, as well as in socio-relational and affective aspects. However, the development in laterality, dynamic coordination, motor execution, tonic-postural control, and balance were not affected. These differences were not affected by the current weight, given that the analysis of the BMI indicated no differences in preterm children. This study demonstrated the need to establish protocols oriented to the prevention of the difficulties detected in children with psychomotor high-risk and the needs to reinforce the educational programs in this area to improve the integral development of children born preterm.

The Necessity of a Reduced Version of the Psychomotor Battery to Screen for Learning Difficulties in Preschool Children

“…Often, these children also presented behavioral problems or other conduct disorders, and when submitted to psychomotor re-education programs with emphasis on body mastery, they significantly improved their performance [5]. Therefore, the main objective of PM is the prevention and treatment of problems to enhance in students, not only the motor aspects but all aspects of personality that interrelate, namely, the ones of intellectual, social and affective nature [8][9][10][11][12].…”

Differences in Motor Development between Preterm Infants and Full-Term Preschool Children

“…On the other hand, Lin et al [35] assessed the general development of premature children using the Bayley scale of child development at 2 and 5 years of age, and observed unfavorable changes in neurodevelopment from 2 to 5 years of age; more than 70% of children who at 2 years of age had normal or borderline development were borderline at 5 years of age. Gil-Madrona et al [36] studied five-year-old children born preterm and full term. They observed that prematurity may have influenced some areas of psychomotor development, such as body image, motor dissociation, visual-motor coordination, and social and emotional aspects.…”

Investigating the relationships between motor skills, cognitive status, and area deprivation index in Arizona: a pilot study

“…This theory underscores the importance of considering long-term exposure to socioeconomic disadvantage and its cumulative effects on health, including motor skills (19). Previous reports that indicate extracurricular physical activities can influence motor skills and cognition and provide a potential modifiable factor for SCD (20,21). Higher ADI values have been associated with faster cognitive decline in older adults; however, the relationship between ADI and motor skill decline in older adults requires further investigation to develop targeted interventions (7,14).…”