Individualized developmental care improves the lives of infants born preterm

Preterm birth is a global obstetrical, medical and educational challenge.Compared to children born at term, children born prematurely are more likely to suffer from delays and disabilities in development.At one time, it was believed that in the absence of major medical complications, children born prematurely would 'catch up'.However, as preterm-born children grow up, academic, as well as life challenges increase in complexity.Now it is clear that these are accompanied by a widening of the gap with their full-term peers on many measures of brain development, cognition, educational achievement and behaviour (including social and emotional adaptation) (1-8).Preterm-born children are the most overrepresented group among children requiring early intervention and once in school, special education services (9).Their long-term disabilities, especially in terms of cognition, motor system dysfunction, learning and school achievement (4,7,8,10) are thought to be based on differences in early brain development(1,2,5,6).The plethora of research on later difficulties sustained by preterm-born children suggests that it is not enough to assure the survival of such infants, but that the questions must be asked: How can these disabilities and impairments of brain development be minimized?How can we maximize the development of all preterm-born infants?While some developmental differences and challenges seen in children born early are explained by the cumulative effect of medical complications associated with preterm birth many sequelae of prematurity are not easily explained by medical complications alone (11).In what other way, besides minimizing these medical complications, can developmental dysfunction be reduced?