In this issue of Pediatrics, Spittle et al1 provide an important follow-up report at 8 years to their randomized trial of early intervention for very preterm infants. The intervention was delivered over 9 sessions during the first year of life and was based on a strong theoretical approach. The well-defined set of services aimed to enhance caretakers’ ability to foster the development of their children and to reduce parental stress.2 At planned follow-up assessments at 2 and 4 years of age,3,4 the authors found no difference between the intervention and control groups in the children’s cognitive, language, and motor scores. They did observe a persistent effect of the intervention on decreased mental health symptoms in caretakers at both points. The current follow-up was undertaken based on the relationship between child development and parental mental health, with the expectation that the persistent advantage in the...
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December 2016
Commentary|
December 01 2016
Strengthening Early Intervention for Very Preterm Infants
Marie C. McCormick, MD;
aDepartment of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts;
bDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and
cDepartment of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
Address correspondence to Marie C. McCormick MD, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: mmccormi@hsph.harvard.edu
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Jonathan S. Litt, MD
Jonathan S. Litt, MD
bDepartment of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and
cDepartment of Neonatology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
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Address correspondence to Marie C. McCormick MD, ScD, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Ave, Boston, MA 02115. E-mail: mmccormi@hsph.harvard.edu
POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.
FINANCIAL DISCLOSURE: The authors have indicated they have no financial relationships relevant to this article to disclose.
Pediatrics (2016) 138 (6): e20162207.
Article history
Accepted:
September 12 2016
Citation
Marie C. McCormick, Jonathan S. Litt; Strengthening Early Intervention for Very Preterm Infants. Pediatrics December 2016; 138 (6): e20162207. 10.1542/peds.2016-2207
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