Investigation of the effectiveness of an enriched environment -based early invervention program in at-risk infants aged 0-4 months

INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ENRICHED ENVIRONMENT BASED EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAMME IN 0-4 MONTHS RISKY INFANTS This study was conducted to examine the effects of an enriched environment-based early intervention programme on mother-infant attachment, infant motor development and maternal anxiety level in infants with developmental risk between 0-4 months. The study was conducted with a pretest-posttest single group quasi-experimental design and 19 mother- infant pairs were included in the study. The intervention programme consisted of parent- guided sensory-motor activities, targeted movement stimulation, positioning strategies and emotional interaction-based practices in the home environment for 12 weeks. Data were collected with Test of ınfant motor performance (Tımp), Peabody developmental motor scales-2 (Pdms-2), Mother-ınfant attachment scale and State anxiety scale. The findings showed that there were statistically significant increases in the motor development levels of the infants after the intervention. The mean Tımp score increased from 26.84 to 61.42, and significant improvements were recorded in Pdms-2 sub-dimensions (reflex, postural control, locomotion, grasping, visual-motor integration). Significant decrease in attachment scale scores indicates a positive development in the mother-infant relationship. A significant decrease was also observed in maternal anxiety levels. In conclusion, environmentally enriched early intervention programmes have holistic effects not only on motor development but also on attachment and emotional well-being. Early implementation of such structured programmes in infants with developmental risk may provide compensatory and supportive effects in later developmental processes. This study emphasises the importance of family- centred and multidisciplinary approaches in early paediatric physiotherapy programmes. Keywords: Early intervention; Enriched environment; Development; Preterm baby; At-risk infant.