Annually, approximately 7.6% of live births in the United States are infants who
are born prematurely and weighing less than 2500 g.1 In the same 12-month period,
1.4% of live births are infants who weigh less than 1500 g, and therefore are
considered very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants.1 Goldson reported that 20%
to 60% of LBW infants have some developmental disability, and 10% to 20%
have significant adverse sequelae.2 Recently, there is increasing recognition of
the importance of providing appropriate types and amounts of environmental
stimulation to these fragile infants during the early weeks of life to reduce stress
and prevent complications, such as intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH), which
can increase the risk for subsequent neurological and developmental problems.
Although there has been debate over the years about whether preterm infants are
understimulated or overstimulated in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU),
there is now a consensus that both problems exist.3