An Overview of the Research on Early Intervention for Low Birth Weight Infants

The aim of this research was to provide a review of the studies on early intervention for low birth weight infants (LBWI). This research picked up on domestic and foreign studies on early intervention to promote development of LBWI , to reduce maternal anxiety and to support and facilitate motherinfant interactions. Moreover, it was discussed the optimum intervention for LBWI and mothers. In Overseas neonatal intensive care units (NICU), from the 2000s, care in NICU was changed from medical care for lifesaving of LBWI to developmental care (DC) for the promotion of infant development and the interactions between mother and LBWI. Moreover, the DC was expanded into newborn individualized developmental care and assessment program (NIDCAP) in the form of family-centered developmentally supportive care to provide more optimum environment and care in NICU as to individual needs for LBWI and family. In practicing the NIDCAP, care of LBWI appeared to have certain positive effects on the LBWI’s communication behaviors and mother-infant interactions (Kleberg, Westrup & Stjernqvist, 2000). Then, it was suggested that the DC both in the infant-centered care and in the infant pain management affects LBWI’s higher attention and regulation, and lower stress than infants from low-care units (Montirosso, Del Prete, Bellù, Tronick & Borgatti, 2012). As the DC provides more optimum environment for LBWI in NICU, neurological development of premature infants was promoted, and more stable neurological behavior was supported. In addition, it was indicated that the guidance for mothers to understand infant’s cues and reactions enhances maternal sensitivity and reduces maternal anxiety (Browne & Talmi, 2005 ; Meyer, Coll, Lester, Boukydis, McDonough & Oh, 1994). Moreover, LBWI after discharge from NICU was involved in long-term follow-up on the pediatrics. Through the guidance to regulate the infant’s reactions mother-infant interactions was enhanced (Berlin, Brooks-Gunn, McCarton & McCornick, 1998 ; Newnham, Milgrom & Skouteris, 2009). In Japan, much early interventions for LBWI are worked on individual NICU, and it wasn’t instituted massive effect study. However, recently, NICU staff in Japan is concerned with psychological care for family, mental health, and parent-infant relationships. Early physical contacts including the kangaroo care and touch care were taken in at many hospitals, the DC was gradually spreading, and medical proposition was changed from intact survival care to family-centered care. From now on, to practice early intervention for LBWI and the family, it is important to clarify the LBWI’s characteristics about the relationships with the others and social development, and to improve the contents and timing of early intervention based on those findings.