Other studies have also shown that preterm children have worse performance in activities of daily living when compared to full‐term peers.12 and 29 At 4 years old, many self‐care tasks are expected to be carried out with minimal caregiver assistance.29 However, in preterm children, functional performance represents the junction of their capacities and limitations,
and it may be affected by motor delay and health status. Thus, a child who is clumsy or has gross and/or fine motor coordination problems Protein Tyrosine Kinase inhibitor may not be able to button or zip up clothes, and/or use the toilet independently.29 Additionally, the literature also indicates that, in the relationship between preterm children and their caregivers, the latter tend to exert a more dominant role in the interaction and for a longer period of time, when compared to caregivers of children born full‐term.29 and 30 This behavior can be attributed, as reported by some mothers, to the tendency to distraction and difficulty completing the requested tasks, i.e., the greater participation of parents or caregivers
in functional activities derives from the lower participation of the children. Another factor that can justify the extra help MAPK Inhibitor Library from parents of preterm children in self‐care activities may be related to the tendency to overprotect these children, who are more vulnerable from birth; this tendency may manifest as an underestimation of these children’s capacities.29 and 30 Thus, the functional performance at 4 years of age can be influenced both by prematurity and the environmental context
of the child. This study has some limitations, since due to the lack of standardized tools to assess the development of motor coordination in Brazilian children, the use of imported tests was necessary; however, comparisons were made only with the control group, tested under the same conditions as the study group. Another limitation was the fact that the researcher had prior knowledge of which group each child belonged to; however, training was undertaken and the inter‐examiner reliability was verified to ensure examiner’s impartiality. This study was cross‐sectional and had a convenience sample; although prospective studies are more adequate to evaluate the development Vasopressin Receptor of premature infants, these are difficult to perform in Brazil. Moreover, as this study aimed to assess a specific time in preschool, the cross‐sectional design was chosen. This study augments the evidence that preterm infants are more likely to have worse motor, cognitive, and functional performance than their peers born full‐term, emphasizing the importance of early assessment, as these changes are already detectable at preschool age. Differentiating it from other Brazilian studies on the subject is the fact that its sample included children from different socioeconomic levels.