Early Identification of Atypical Motor Performance of Infants With Prenatal Opioid Exposure

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the association between prenatal opioid exposure (POE) and newborn infants' motor performance to aid in the early identification of developmental delays. Methods: Nineteen infants with POE requiring pharmacological treatment, 27 infants with POE without pharmacological treatment, and 25 infants without POE were assessed via the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP). Results: Infants in both groups with POE had lower TIMP scores than infants without POE. There was no difference between the TIMP scores of infants with POE who required pharmacological treatment and infants with POE who did not require pharmacological treatment. Conclusions: The TIMP can detect differences in motor performance of infants with POE. Regardless of whether infants required pharmacological treatment, POE was associated with lower motor performance. Those working in hospital or early intervention settings can use the TIMP to identify early delays in infants with POE and refer for intervention.