A review of the effect of early intervention programmes on the developmental status of very preterm, very low birth weight infants.

Infants who are born prior to forty weeks gestation frequently demonstrate a rate of development which is different from that evidenced by their term born peers. This is true particularly for those infants who have no abnormalities which would interfere with their development but who are both very preterm (of 32 weeks gestation or less) and of very low weight at birth (1500 grams or less). Stimulation aimed at overcoming the negative aspects of preterm birth and enhancing the development of preterm born infants has been widely recommended. The evidence which supports the idea of such intervention is conflicting and based on inconclusive data. The purpose of this review is to identify those aspects of early stimulation programmes which have been of measurable benefit to preterm born subjects. From this basis it should be possible to isolate optimal forms of stimulation to guide those who seek to provide these infants with assistance designed to maximize their developmental potential.