ABSTRACT
Common to the very prematurely born children is their immaturity, which can cause difficulties with integration of the senses, motor skills, memory, and learning. Some children may suffer consequences that will appear early in life and are overcome before, or by, the start of schooling. For others such consequences may only become apparent later, sometimes at school age. Many children born too early have a negative or low self-esteem for many years, and only a very small amount of self-confidence. It is very common to find that a prematurely born child does not have the courage to accept new challenges, large or small. For the child's feeling of self-value and self-esteem to be strengthened, it needs close ties, care, trust, total acceptance, and confirmation of itself—that is, avoidance of negative criticism. Children's motor-skill development continues generally up to the age of 8—10 years, and it is dependent upon the development in many different areas of the brain.
