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Understanding the dynamics between preterm infants and their families
Author(s) -
CHESNEY ANNA R.,
CHAMPION PATRICIA R.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
support for learning
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.25
H-Index - 30
eISSN - 1467-9604
pISSN - 0268-2141
DOI - 10.1111/j.1467-9604.2008.00385.x
Subject(s) - champion , psychological intervention , intervention (counseling) , incubator , psychology , unit (ring theory) , developmental psychology , neonatal intensive care unit , medicine , medical education , psychiatry , mathematics education , microbiology and biotechnology , political science , law , biology
The high‐tech environment of the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) may seem a million miles away from the classroom, but the baby who has been born prematurely, wired up in an incubator in the former, will in five years' time be a learner in the other. The journeys through our education system of children who have survived premature birth to become learners are causing teachers, psychologists, therapists and carers to explore innovative learning pathways, new psychological and therapeutic interventions, and creative care approaches to meet their needs. While much is known about the serious physical and sensory problems of preterm babies, less is known about their psychological, educational and socio‐emotional difficulties. This article attempts to identify key targets for holistic intervention with families of premature infants. An approach used at the Champion Early Intervention Centre (Burwood Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand) is described, from which practitioners of school‐aged children can draw teaching and learning implications.