Preemies are infants born prior to the 37th week of gestation. They are characteristically small, weighing less than 5 1/2 lbs, and often spend time in a neonatal intensive care unit. Preemies may have some delays in reaching developmental milestones--an array of performance skills or age-related tasks that infants should be able to perform by a specific age--due to their early arrival. Physicians will use these milestones as criteria in assessing development. According to the March of Dimes, the assessment of developmental milestones will be based upon the infant's corrected age, which utilizes the anticipated pregnancy due date as the reference point for development and not the actual premature delivery date.
Physical and Motor Development
At 2 months, the child should be able to move his legs and arms energetically, grasp objects placed in his hand and lift his head. His repertoire of skills further develops by 6 months of age, as he may demonstrate the ability to sit, roll from side to side and move objects between hands. By 1 year, he is standing unassisted, taking first steps and trying to feed himself.
Language Development
Language development at 2 months is very minimal, with the infant cooing or crying only. By 6 months, he is able to laugh heartily and explore consonant-vowel sound combinations. At the age of 1, the child should be able to vocalize short one- or two-syllable words like "me" or "mama."
Social Development
Making eye contact, recognizing his mother's face and smiling are key developmental skills exhibited by a 2-month old infant. As the infant reaches 6 months of age, he can begin to express emotions such as happiness, sadness and joy. Also, he may behave differently in the presence of strangers. At 1 year, he should be able to imitate social gestures such as waving, nodding and blowing kisses.
References
- American Family Physician: Care of the Premature Infant
- University of Michigan Health Center: Developmental Milestones
- March of Dimes: Pregnancy and Newborn Health Education Center
- National Network for Child Care: Developmental Milestones: A Guide for Parents
- American Academy of Pediatrics: Healthy Children
