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Development of postural asymmetry in premature human infants
Author(s) -
Gardner Judith,
Lewkowicz David,
Turkewitz Gerald
Publication year - 1977
Publication title -
developmental psychobiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.055
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1098-2302
pISSN - 0012-1630
DOI - 10.1002/dev.420100507
Subject(s) - gestational age , fetus , medicine , full term , fetal head , position (finance) , pediatrics , obstetrics , psychology , pregnancy , biology , genetics , finance , economics
The head position of 95 infants, born between 30 and 37 weeks gestational age, was observed every 15 min for 2 hr weekly from birth until 39 weeks conceptional age. At 35 weeks and increasingly thereafter, significantly more time was spent with the head to the right than to the left. By 39 weeks the infants were similar to term infants: almost 90% spent 80% or more time with their heads to the right. The increase appeared independent of intra‐ or extrauterine experience; neither age at birth nor time since birth was consistently related to head position. Unlike term infants, prematures were equally likely to turn left as right and have their heads left as right 15 min after release from a midline position. These findings suggest complex determinants of asymmetry including factors intrinsic to the fetus and those contributed by the uterine environment.