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http://www.medicinaeinformazione.com/ / medicinaeinformazione The birth of a premature baby, therefore with a weight of less than 1000 grams and less than 32 weeks is an event that can increasingly be faced thanks to the evolution of therapies that in recent years have allowed a great reduction in mortality, but in the face of some neurological problems that must be intercepted as early as possible to start a personalized rehabilitation plan and to avoid neuromotor or neurocognitive outcomes. And to find out what the most correct path is for each child born prematurely, we met with Prof. Paolo Curatolo, Director of the Neuropsychiatry Unit at the Policlinico Tor Vergata in Rome, who spoke to us about the critical moment in which a premature baby must be admitted to neonatal intensive care, which also means separation from the mother and from all those environmental stimuli (tactile, auditory, visual) that play an important role in emotional and cognitive development. This is why it is essential, as soon as clinical conditions allow, to implement environmental stimulation by teaching parents how to intervene after a neurological examination repeated over time that evaluates a possible delay in neuropsychomotor development or neurosensory problems (sight, hearing) to start a personal rehabilitation plan that involves parents. Some typical signs that can be intercepted in the family are for example a delay in being able to hold an upright position, or the inability to crawl or asymmetrical postures that can be corrected... 2/3 of premature children manage to bridge the gap between 2 and 6 years of age, others instead may encounter a learning disorder or attention deficit disorder, and this is why early and continuous intervention of environmental stimulation is essential to reset the neural networks that provide the child with the ability to respond to stimuli and develop, for example, adequate language. And once the child has completed all the physiological steps of recovery, it is equally important that parents let him gain experience, socialize and live a peaceful daily life because being overprotective does not allow children to experience life as it should be.