Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Five early milestones in premature infants

  • Articles
  • Published:
Child Psychiatry and Human Development Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The onset of five early milestones was studied in premature and full-term infants. The milestones are: recognition of mother's voice and face, 3-month smile, following through 180°, and two hand-eye coordination. It was hypothesized that premature infants would show delay in acquiring milestones related to time separated from mother. Compared to full-term infants, the prematures had a significant difference in the means only for the onset of smiling, and no effect related to maternal separation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Gesell AL, Amatruda CS: In H Knobloch & B. Pasamanick (Eds),Developmental Diagnoses (3rd ed). New York, Harper & Row, 1974.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Stuart HC: Physical growth and development. In HC Stuart & DG Prugh (Eds),The Healthy Child. Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1964.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hollingshead AB, Redlich FC:Social Class and Mental Illness. New York, Wiley, 1958.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Bowlby J: The nature of the child's tie to his mother.Int J Psychoanal 34:1–23, 1958.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Polak PR, Emde RN, Spitz RA: The smiling response to the human face, I: Methodology, quantification and natural history.J Nerv Ment Dis 139:103–109, 1964.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. McGraw MB: Neural maturation as exemplified in the reaching-prehensile behavior of the human infant.J Psychol 11:127–144, 1941.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Griffiths R:The Abilities of Babies. New York, McGraw-Hill, 1954.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Watson EH, Lowrey GH:Growth and Development (3rd ed). Chicago, Year-book Medical Publisher, 1958.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Klaus MH, Jereauld R, Kreger JC: Maternal attachment, importance of the first postpartum days.N Eng J Med 286:460–463, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Fraiberg S: Psychiatry and mental health. Presented at the American Academy of Child Psychiatry meeting, Toronto, October 1976.

  11. Hobel CJ, Oh W, Hyvarinen MA, Emmanoulides GC, Erenberg A: Early versus late treatment of neonatal acidosis in low birth-weight infants: Relation to respiratory distress syndrome.J Pediatr 81:1178–1187, 1972.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Koivisto J, Blanco-Sequeiros M, Kraus U: Neonatal symptomatic and asymptomatic hypoglycemia.Dev Med Child Neurol 14:603–614, 1972.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Medical World News, August 4, 1972, pp 44–51.

  14. Stewart A: The risk of handicap due to birth defect in infants of very low birth-weight.Dev Med Child Neurol 14:585–591, 1972.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Upadhyay Y: A longitudinal study of full-term neonates with hyperbilirubinemia to four years of age.Johns Hopkins Med J 128:273–277, 1971.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Liley AW: The foetus as a personality.Aust NZ J Psychiatry 6:99–105, 1972.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Spelt DK: The conditioning of the human fetus in utero.J Exp Psychol 38:338–346, 1948.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Salk L: The mother's heart beat as an imprinting stimulus.Trans NY Acad Sci, Series II,24:753–763, 1962.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Avery ME, Frantz I: Commentary: Intrauterine developmental retardation.J Pediatr 87:956–957, 1975.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Beckoff M, Fox MW: Postnatal neural ontogeny: Environment-dependent and/or environment expectant?Dev Psychobio 5:323–341, 1971.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Powell LF: The effect of extra stimulation and maternal involvement on the development of low-birth-weight infants and on maternal behavior.Child Dev 45:106–113, 1974.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Scarr-Salapatek S, Williams ML: The effects of early stimulation on low-birth-weight infants.Child Dev 44:94–101, 1973.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Freedman DA: Congenital and perinatal sensory deprivation: Their effect on the capacity to experience affect.Psychoanal Q 44:62–81, 1975.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Sugar M: Premature and full-term infant-caretaker interactions. Presented at the 8th International Congress of Child Psychiatry, Philadelphia, July 1974.

  25. Saint-Anne Dargassies S: Neurological maturation of the premature infant of 28 to 41 weeks gestational age. In F Faulkner (Ed),Human Development. Philadelphia, Saunders, 1966.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Lubchenco LO, Delivoria-Papadopoulos M, Searls D: Long-term follow-up studies of prematurely born infants, II: Influence of birth weight and gestational age on sequelae.J Pediatr 80:509–512, 1972.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Rose SA, Schmidt K, Bridger WH: Cardiac and behavioral responsivity to tactile stimulation in premature and full-term infants. Presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, April 1975.

  28. Littman B: Prematurity, peripheral nerve myelination and the measurement of conceptional age. Presented at the meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Denver, April 1975.

  29. Rice RD: Premature infants respond to sensory stimulation. Presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, September 1975.

  30. Rubin RA, Rosenblatt C, Balow B: Psychological and educational sequelae of prematurity.Pediatrics 52:352–363, 1973.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Wiener G: Scholastic achievement at age 12–13 of prematurely born infants.J Special Education 2:237–250, 1968.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Louisiana State University School of Medicine, New Orleans, Louisiana

    Max Sugar MD (Clinical Professor of Psychiatry)

Authors
  1. Max Sugar MD
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The author is grateful to Juan-Washington, MD, former Director, and his staff, of the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, and to the Premature Outpatient Clinic of Charity Hospital in New Orleans for their excellent cooperation during this study; M. Kelly, RN, former Director, and her staff, at the Mary Buck City Health Clinic; Lawrence Van Egeren, PhD, and Lawrence Weber, PhD, for help with the statistics; David Taylor for the computer programming; David A. Freedman, MD, and Gerald Wiener, PhD, for their critical reading of the manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Sugar, M. Five early milestones in premature infants. Child Psych Hum Dev 8, 11–24 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01463473

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01463473

Keywords

Search

Navigation