Intervention with Premature Human Infants
Researchers:
Edward H. Cornell and Allen W. Gottfried Child Development Vol. 47, No. 1 (Mar., 1976), pp. 32-39
Source:
Published by: Wiley on behalf of the Society for Research in Child Development DOI: 10.2307/1128280 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1128280 Page Count: 8 https://www.jstor.org/stable/1128280?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
Abstract
Stimulation has been given to young infants to prevent the developmental disabilities often associated with prematurity. A review of these experimental programs reveals a lack of knowledge as to the ecology of the premature infant. This is indicated in the assumption that premature infants are sensorily deprived and by the arbitrary differences in the nature of stimulation techniques. Despite various problems in methodological design and outcome assessment, stimulated infants tend to perform at higher levels than control-group infants on measures of sensor motor and motor development. It is suggested that future research should be directed toward specifying the environment and processing capacities of the premature infant, and that intervention studies should make use of the 4-group design proposed by Solomon and Lessac (1968).