Behavioural Language of Preterm Infants: Cardiorespirography and Video Recording of Motor Behaviour as an Integration of the Newborn Indiviualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program (NIDCAP) Observation

Understanding early preterm infants’ strengths, vulnerabilities, thresholds to stress and disorganization, and behavioural state regulation is of great importance in view of the daily care in the NICU and stabilization of preterm infants. Preterm infants display observable behaviours along three main systems: the autonomic, the motor and the state systems. These behaviours according to the NIDCAP method are coded and recorded on a score sheet based on naturalistic observation, performed with unaided eyes.