QUALITY OF SPONTANEOUS GENERAL MOVEMENTS IN FULL-TERM SMALL-FOR-GESTATIONAL-AGE AND APPROPRIATE FOR GESTATIONAL-AGE NEWBORN-INFANTS

Quality of spontaneous movements was studied in 15 healthy full-term a ppropriate for gestational age (AGA) and in 15 full-term small-for ges tational age (SGA) newborn infants. All general movements with a minim al duration of 20 seconds were judged on different aspects of movement quality. From the general movements in each group (AGA: n = 106; SGA: n = 187), dominant patterns were isolated. In the AGA Group 3 dominan t patterns of general movements were present. In the SGA Group 5 domin ant patterns of general movements were found. Three of those were iden tical to the movement patterns in the AGA group, the remaining two pat terns were unique for the SGA infants. Our results indicate that the t hree different types of general movements which constitute the major p art of the normal repertoire of healthy full-term infants can be used as a reference for normal spontaneous motor behaviour. The two differe nt types of general movements in the SGA infants might be used to disc riminate between healthy and neurologically suspect newborn infants. T he difference in movement pattern between AGA and SGA infants might be explained by the effect of intrauterine malnutrition on CNS developme nt.