The Effects of a Modified Care Environment on the Growth & Development of High Risk Infants

High risk infants are at a greater risk for later neurobehavioral and learning problems. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) environment has been suggested as a major contributing factor in the development of these problems, possibly because of a mismatch between the brain expectations and the environment input in the infant in a NICU that leads to overwhelming sensory load, stress and subsequent alterations in development. Research demonstrates that the usual NICU environment (with its high intensity, continuous light, noise and sound levels) is highly arousing, with marked effects on the infants' physiologic and neurobehavioral status and organization and may increase the risk of hearing and vision problems. This research will evaluate the effects of a modified NICU physical environment on physiological and neurobehavioral parameters with two groups of preterm infants (