Program helps premies develop and learn

Two premature babies. Two different paths. Sharan Bryson’s son, Chris, was born at 34 weeks old and weighed only four pounds, three ounces. Fifteen years later her daughter, Meah, was born at just 26 weeks. She weighed a mere two pounds, one ounce.

Premies are five to eight times more likely than babies born at term to need special education services for developmental or learning problems.

Premie Meah Bryson was identified for speech therapy services at just 16 months thanks to TIPS. She has since graduated and now attends a Head Start program.

Though she was at higher medical risk than her brother, Meah has had better developmental outcomes. Because of a special Nebraska program called Tracking Infants Progress Statewide (TIPS), her needs for development services were identified earlier. At just 16 months of age, she was referred to Omaha Public Schools for speech therapy.

Founded at the UNMC Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) in 1999, TIPS provides specialized, systematic developmental follow-up at 6, 16, 24 and 36 months for most babies who have been in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It offers a more formal, in-depth screening than most physicians can provide and assesses overall developmental milestones.

“The goal is to gather information about how babies who have been in the NICU grow and develop in order to learn how to better meet their unique needs now and in the future,” said Barb Jackson, Ph.D., co-director of TIPS and director of education and child development at MMI. “If we can catch a problem at 6 or 16 months, we can implement early intervention as soon as possible.”

More from MMI This story originally appeared in the Munroe-Meyer Institute’s 2009 annual report. View the full report online.

Prior to TIPS, there was no organized follow-up program for NICU graduates. MMI spearheaded a plan that resulted in the TIPS model. TIPS has grown to a collaboration among 10 hospitals in the state, the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, Nebraska Department of Education and MMI. It’s the only known statewide follow-up program and is a primary referral source for the Early Developmental Network.

Before speech therapy, Meah wouldn’t mimic or even mumble speech sounds. Now 3, Meah’s able to share her wants and needs.

Meah graduated from special education services and now attends a Head Start program in Omaha where she continues to work on her communication skills.

“It’s amazing how far she’s come,” Bryson said. “I can really see the difference between her and her brother. There was a lot more support with her than with him.”