Motor Performance of Infants Born Small or Appropriate for Gestational Age: A Comparative Study

In Brief Purpose: To compare the motor performance of infants born small for gestational age (SGA) with those appropriate for gestational age (AGA) at 1, 2, 3, and 6 months. Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted including infants born full-term, with birth weight under the 10th percentile for the SGA group and between the 10th and 90th percentiles for the AGA group. The Motor Scale of Bayley Scales of Infant Development-II was used to document motor performance. Results: The SGA group presented a mean motor index score lower than the AGA group at 2 and 6 months, with the SGA group presenting fewer infants that successfully accomplished “makes crawling movements,” “turns from side to back,” “balances head,” “sits alone momentarily,” and “sits alone for 30 seconds.” Conclusions: Data analysis suggested that infants who are SGA present greater risk of adverse outcomes that are detectable in motor performance measures at 2 months. The results suggest that infants who are SGA present a greater risk for adverse results, which can be detected at 2 months chronological age using the Bayley II Motor Scales. The authors suggest infants who are SGA should receive greater attention in the initial post natal months.