Innovative multiprofessional early intervention aiming at improving development of prematurely born children

• Abstract: Extremely preterm born children and their parents is a vulnerable group with a high risk of developmental delays, academic challenges and parental mental health difficulties. Previously interventions have been medical focusing of increasing survival, but recently post-discharge interventions improving long-term development have been presented. This abstract concerns a novel multiprofroessional intervention, Stockholm Preterm Interaction-Based Intervention (SPIBI) aiming at consolidation of expertise from educational, behavioral and medical fields in benefit of the child development and family well-being.  Rationale and purpose: SPIBIs purpose is to enhance the parent-child interaction, child cognitive and motor development, child preschool social participation and parental mental health in families with extreme preterm born infants.Description of methods, results, or modes of inquiry: In a novel RCT a strengths-based post-discharge intervention targeting extreme preterm born (EPT= born before 28 gestational weeks) infants and their parents is being tested. 130 EPT born children and their parents have been randomly allocated to an intervention group receiving 10 home visits during the first year at home, or a control group receiving treatment as usual with an extended follow-up program. The novel intervention is named Stockholm Preterm Interaction-Based Intervention (SPIBI).Innovation: The field of long-term development of extremely born infants is innovative in itself, since the field consist of a severely vulnerable population on the verge of viability, who did not survive twenty years ago. The innovation in SPIBI is its consolidation of practical knowledge as well as research concerning the challenges of extreme prematurity from a medical (brain developmental), special educational (preschool behavioral), physiotherapeutic (motor), psychological (parent-child-interactional and cognitive) perspective. Working together will benefit the child and family as a whole, since extreme prematurity is a nuanced field with implications for several aspects of development. Despite this, previous international research from the field is almost always unidisciplinary.Implications for policy or practice: The outcome will influence practice at a regional and possible national level, concerning how a low cost early intervention may improve several outcomes and reduce challenges for a group of children with a high risk of developmental delays.Relationship to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion: The extreme preterm born population often has double challenges, both concerning developmental delays and socioeconomic hardships, both internationally and in a Swedish context. Giving this vulnerable population initial extra support is ultimately a question of equity, increasing the chance of participating in fully inclusive learning environments ahead.Methods used to encourage audience engagement When presenting the poster, these 3 questions will be continuously discussed with researchers passing by:1.     What do parents to medically fragile infants who have been balancing on the verge of death, need when the family comes back home from the hospital?2.     What are the key elements of multidisciplinary and multiprofessional co-operation between medicine, psychology and special education?3.     What may be the different needs of different groups of families with extreme preterm born children, regarding socioeconomic background, severity of prematurity and migration statues?

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Utbildningsvetenskap -- Pedagogik (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Educational Sciences -- Pedagogy (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Infant and toddler/Family

Multiprofessional

specialpedagogik

Special Education

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)