Play in the Prone Position: A Resource Guide for Parents and Their Growing Infants
Graduation Date
2005
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Occupational Therapy
Department
Occupational Therapy
Department or Program Chair
Ruth Ramsey, EdD, OTR/L
Thesis Advisor
Bonnie Napier-Tibere, EdD, OTR/L
Abstract
Since 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Task Force has recommended the supine sleep position for all infants in order to decrease the incidence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). A review of the literature has found that infants who spend a majority of their time in the supine position while awake are at high risk for motor developmental delay (AAP Task Force on Infant Positioning and SIDS, 1996; Boere-Boonekamp & Linden- Kuiper, 2001; Sails, Silverman, and Gatty, 2002). Play in the prone position has a strong influence on the acquisition of motor developmental milestones (Sails et al., 2002; Taneja, Sriram, Beri, Sreenivas, Aggarwal,
Kaur et al., 2002). The extent of how much play in the prone position is emphasized by parents and caregivers at home is unknown. By producing a resource manual for parents and caregivers, this change project provided activities of play in the prone position to assist in the proper development of motor skills in infants. Play in the prone position is tied to the foundational concept of occupational therapy practice because it promotes independence in the functional mobility and occupational performance of infants.