An infant at risk is one who may have impaired sensorineural-motor development due to risk conditions such as prematurity, low birth weight, neonatal distress, risk exposure during pregnancy.

Evaluate, detect, and intervene early in the sensorimotor development of infants at risk.

Follow-up was carried out twice a week, in the Early Intervention Project for Infants (IPL), running since 2008 at the Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, with 409 infants. For the present study, 307 infants were selected. As inclusion criteria were considered: diagnosis of risk at birth, assessment of motor development before starting physical therapy, and at least two reassessments up to 6 months of chronological age. The instrument used to evaluate the infants was “Assessment of the Neurosensory-motor Development of the Baby at Risk”, which allows the assessment of muscle tone (MT); supine (PS), prone (PP), traction for sitting (TS), sitting with support (S) postures; primitive reflexes (PR); postural reactions (RPos); and, primary sensorimotor coordination (CSMP), from 20 to 180 days of postnatal life. In this assessment, a score different from zero indicates a risk for developmental delay, justifying the need for monitoring and early intervention. For intervention, infants were stimulated with colorful, sound toys of different sizes and textures. Caregivers received guidance during the service, and information leaflets with guidance on typical and atypical motor development, home stimulation, in addition to guidance through the project's social media on Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp groups of parents and caregivers. The project had the participation of residents and undergraduates in Physical Therapy.

All 307 participants had a clinical diagnosis of risk at birth, mainly due to prematurity and low weight. The initial physiotherapeutic evaluation indicated alterations in 100% of the infants: 51.15% in muscle tone, 52.44% in the supine posture, 59.93% in the prone position, 57% in the tractioned posture for sitting, 56.02% when sitting with support, 43.97% in primitive reflexes, 59.28% in postural reactions, and, 42.02% in primary sensorimotor coordination. The age at which changes were most observed was between the 2nd and 4th month of chronological age, enabling the diagnosis and consequently early intervention. It is worth noting that during the health emergency period due to Covid-19, the monitoring of infants was carried out remotely through telemonitoring.

The results demonstrate evidence regarding pre, peri and post birth risks, the importance of detection and early intervention. Added to this is the important involvement of parents/caregivers following the guidelines for stimulation at home, in addition to the actions of residents and undergraduates who seek to improve the theoretical and practical knowledge of child health care.

The positive results arising from early intervention indicate the importance of having more health services with better trained and humanized professionals who serve this population, which can also contribute to the implementation of public policies to care for infants at risk and their families.