Gross Motor Development of Children with Congenital Heart Disease Receiving Early Systematic Surveillance and Individualized Intervention: Brief Report

Dev Neurorehabil. 2021 Jan;24(1):56-62. doi: 10.1080/17518423.2020.1711541. Epub 2020 Jan 12.

Abstract

Purpose: This retrospective study aims to describe the gross motor development of children aged 4 to 24 months with congenital heart disease (CHD) enrolled in a systematic developmental follow-up program and to describe the frequency of physical therapy sessions they received between 4 and 8 months of age. Methods: Twenty-nine infants with CHD underwent motor evaluations using the AIMS at 4 months, and the Bayley-III at 12 and 24 months. Results: Based on AIMS, 79% of 4-month-old infants had a gross motor delay and required physical therapy. Among these, 56.5% received one to two physical therapy sessions, and 43.5% received three to six sessions. Infants who benefited from regular interventions tended to show a better improvement in motor scores from 12 to 24 months. Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of early motor screening in infants with CHD and suggests a potential benefit of early physical therapy in at-risk children. Abbreviations: CHD: Congenital heart disease; AIMS: Alberta Infant Motor Scales; Bayley-III: Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third edition; Bayley-III/GM: Gross Motor section of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third edition.

Keywords: Alberta Infant Motor Scales (AIMS); Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development; Congenital heart disease (CHD); Third edition (Bayley-III); early intervention; gross motor development.

MeSH terms

  • Child Development*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Developmental Disabilities / epidemiology*
  • Early Medical Intervention / methods*
  • Female
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / physiopathology
  • Heart Defects, Congenital / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Movement*
  • Physical Therapy Modalities*