Understanding how preterm birth affects motor skill learning in young children
Official title: Motor skill learning in young children born preterm
Funded at Marquette University · NIH-10821482 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This study looks at how being born early affects young kids, ages 5 to 8, in learning to use their hands and bodies for different tasks, comparing them to kids who were born on time, to better understand any challenges they might face.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R03 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Marquette University NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Milwaukee, United States) |
| Project start | April 6, 2023 |
| Project end | March 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2024 |
| Award (this year) | $151,622 |
| NIH project number | 5R03HD107651-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-10821482 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates for participation are children aged 5-8 years who were born before 32 weeks of gestation.
✕Less likely to help
Children who were born at term and do not have any motor skill learning difficulties may not benefit from this research.
What this research studies
This research investigates the impact of preterm birth on the ability of young children to learn motor skills. It focuses on children aged 5-8 years who were born prematurely and compares their motor learning abilities to those of children born at term. Through controlled laboratory tasks, the study aims to evaluate how these children perform in learning both unimanual and bimanual motor skills. The findings could help identify specific challenges faced by preterm children in developing motor skills.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this research could lead to improved interventions for enhancing motor skill development in children born preterm.
How similar studies have gone: Previous research has shown that understanding motor skill development in preterm children can lead to effective interventions, indicating that this approach has potential for success.
Where this research is happening
-
Marquette University
Milwaukee, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Nemanich, Samuel Thomas — Marquette University
- Study coordinator: Nemanich, Samuel Thomas
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PREEMIE PROGRESS: a family program to help parents of very preterm babies
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.