A prematuridade e o extremo baixo peso como fator de risco ao desenvolvimento infantil

Abstract

This study was developed in the Special Education research line of the Post- Graduation Program at Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). This work aimed at investigating the infantile development of premature children and the extremely low birth weight (ELBW), that is, being born with less than 1000g, when they were attended in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the University Hospital of Santa Maria (UHSM), from January 2003 to December 2005. It was considered, as main variables of infant development, the language and motor abilities acquisition, being evaluated through a familiar interview and Denver Developmental Screening Test (DDST II). In the three studied years, 33 RN were discharged from hospital. Among them, 10 RN were selected since they lived in Santa Maria/RS. It was possible to verify that 70% from these children indicated a higher suspect and/or lateness in language functions, considering that, from this rate, 10 % is related to the motor one. It was indicated that higher the rate of diagnosed incidences in the neonatal period, higher the language lateness rate suspected described by TTDD II in their posterior development, intensified with criteria of prematurity and EBF as factor of risk to the posterior infant development. In this way, the responsibility of educational areas as the Especial Education continues in the quality of children’s life quality and stimulation, as a primordial undertaking of the secondary prevention, stimulating the potential areas in the prevention of possible consequent delays to the childlike development.