What is it about?
The paper reports on a longitudinal follow-up of preterm infants from 3 months of corrected age through the preschool years (5-8 years). The findings show that characteristics of spontaneous movements in infancy predict later social competence and self-esteem in childhood. These associations were found to be mediated by the quality of mother–child emotional availability and by children's motor functioning in childhood.
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Why is it important?
The findings suggest that observation of spontaneous movements in preterm infants may serve as a valuable tool for the early identification of children at risk for later social-emotional difficulties. They further emphasize the importance of directing families to interventions that foster both positive parent–infant relationships and the development of motor skills during childhood.
Perspectives
As a developmental physiotherapist who has also expanded her knowledge of developmental psychology, I have been interested in bridging these two fields. Through this study, I aimed to highlight how much can be learned from infants’ spontaneous movements, and how this knowledge can inform interventions that integrate emotional and physical aspects of development.
Orna Lev-Enacab
University of Haifa
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Spontaneous movements of preterm-born infants predict social competence and self-esteem at early school age: The mediating role of motor skills and maternal emotional availability., Developmental Psychology, June 2026, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/dev0002207.
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