HEP® Tele-Rehabilitation for Preterm Infants at Developmental Risk: A Feasibility Study

Several early intervention approaches based on sensory and motor environmental enrichment have demonstrated neurobehavioral benefits and improvements in motor and cognitive skills in infants. Tele-rehabilitation has also been shown to positively impact the motor and cognitive development of at-risk infants. However, limited research has examined the effects of environmental enrichment-based early interventions delivered via tele-rehabilitation on sensory, motor, cognitive, language, and socio-emotional skills, adaptive behaviors, parental goals, and parental anxiety in preterm infants at developmental risk, as well as the feasibility of delivering such interventions online. The proposed study aims to evaluate the effects of the environmental enrichment-based HEP® approach delivered through tele-rehabilitation on these developmental outcomes in preterm infants, thereby contributing to the existing literature.

Inclusion Criteria: * Infants with a corrected age between 4 and 12 months. * Infants born at or before 36 weeks and 6 days of gestation. * Infants with no congenital anomalies. * Families who agree to participate regularly in the study process. Exclusion Criteria: * Infants with major visual or hearing impairments. * Infants with any genetic syndrome or congenital anomalies. * Infants with medical conditions that prevent active participation in the study (e.g., oxygen dependence). * Infants participating in other experimental rehabilitation studies.