Early Intervention Programs Effective in Improving Intelligence Levels of Preterm Babies

More than half a million babies (one in every eight) are born prematurely every year in the U.S. Babies born before 37 weeks of gestational age are termed as premature babies.

A preterm birth poses many health risks for the child including intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, breathing or respiratory problems, feeding or digestive problems and vision or hearing loss. Preterm birth is the second leading cause of death among children five and below in the world. 

Helping parents to solve these problems, researchers have found early intervention programs effective in improving intelligence levels and cognitive skills of preterm born children.

Dr. Alicia Spittle and colleagues reviewed 21 studies that explored the role of early developmental intervention programs in boosting brain development in premature babies.

The early intervention programs that included physical and occupational therapy for infants or educating parents about the best methods to interact with their babies were found helpful in achieving cognitive and motor development by the time the child starts going to school.

"The differences in cognitive outcomes during infancy are approximately five developmental quotient points and at preschool age, approximately seven IQ points," Dr. Spittle, a postdoctoral research fellow at Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne, Australia, said in a news release.  "Unfortunately, there have not been as many studies that have followed these children into school age and those that do have variable results. Some show long term benefits and others don't."

Apart from that, researchers found these programs helping in improving concentration, social skills and behavior.

"These are skills that are largely beginning to develop in the preschool period and are areas where early intervention has profound effects," Nathan Blum, a development behavioral pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said. 

Findings of the study have been published in The Cochrane Library.