Premature Babies Support Program
Conditions Treated
- Cerebral Palsy
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- ADHD
- Developmental Delay
- Epilepsy Treatment
- Speech Delay
- Headaches and Migraines
- Behavioural/Conduct Disorders
- Feeding Disorder
- Learning Disability
- Movement Disorder
- Neuromuscular Disorders
- Neurometabolic and Neurogenetic Conditions
- Sleep Disorder
- Sensory Integration
- Premature Babies Support Program
Leaving the neonatal unit is a milestone, and also the start of a much longer stretch. Babies born prematurely are more likely to need support with movement, feeding, speech and language, learning, attention, and emotional regulation, and those needs emerge at different points, sometimes years apart. A concern that was not there at one year old can appear at four, or at seven when school demands increase.
The Premature Babies Support Program at Child Development Center (CDC) in Dubai is built for that long timeline. It is not a single assessment. It is an ongoing programme: A team who know your child, therapy that adapts as new needs surface, developmental surveillance at the ages that matter, and one plan that carries through from infancy into the school years.
Our Premature Baby Development support follow-up is the assessment — A structured developmental review that tells you where your child is now. This Support Program is what follows: Multidisciplinary therapy and monitoring over time, for children who need more than a check-up. Many families start with the assessment and continue into the programme.
Prematurity means birth before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy, and the earlier a baby is born the more likely they are to need extra support. But being born early does not determine an outcome. Most children born preterm do well, and where difficulties do appear, identifying them early and supporting them consistently is what makes the difference. Our job is to make sure nothing is missed, and that you are not left arranging it all yourself.
We also work in corrected age for the first two years — comparing your child to where they would be had they been born at term — because judging a baby born at 28 weeks against a full-term birthday sets an unfair expectation and produces unnecessary alarm.
Who It’s for?
The programme is for babies, toddlers, and children who were born prematurely and need ongoing developmental support. It is likely to be right for your family if:
- Your baby was born very preterm or extremely preterm, or was very low birth weight.
- Your baby had a complicated neonatal course — brain injury or bleeding, chronic lung disease, necrotising enterocolitis, retinopathy of prematurity, or prolonged ventilation.
- A developmental assessment has already identified delays, and therapy is recommended.
- Feeding is difficult — slow feeding, reflux, oral aversion, tube weaning, or later selective eating.
- Motor development is delayed, muscle tone is unusually low or high, or movement is asymmetrical.
- Speech and language are slow to develop, or communication is not progressing as expected.
- Sleep, sensory sensitivity, regulation, or behaviour is proving difficult.
- Difficulties are emerging now at school age — attention, learning, coordination, or organisation — in a child born preterm.
And for parents?
Families come out of neonatal care carrying a great deal — anxiety that does not switch off at discharge, disrupted feeding and sleep, and the exhausting task of coordinating appointments. Parent support is a deliberate part of this programme.
Our Approach
The programme follows CDC’s D.A.R.T. pathway — Diagnosis, Assessment, Recommendation, Therapy — over an extended timeline rather than a single cycle.
A baseline that includes the whole history
We start with your child’s full story: Gestational age, birth weight, neonatal course, discharge summaries, feeding history, and any assessments already done. We then assess development across motor skills, feeding, communication, cognition, play, sensory processing, and regulation — using corrected age in the first two years.
Developmental surveillance at the ages that matter
Rather than waiting for a problem to become obvious, we schedule reviews at the points where preterm-related difficulties typically emerge — through the first year, at around two years corrected age, in the preschool years, and again around school entry, when attention, coordination, and learning demands increase.
Therapy that changes as your child does
Physiotherapy supports postural control, tone, symmetry, and motor milestones. Occupational therapy addresses fine motor skills, sensory processing, feeding, self-care, and later school skills.
Speech and language therapy covers infant feeding and swallowing, early communication, and later speech and language. Psychology and behaviour support address regulation, sleep, attention, and — as children get older — learning profiles and emotional wellbeing. Which of these is active at any point depends on what your child needs then, not on a fixed package.
Parents coached, not just informed
Most of the developmental work happens in ordinary daily life — feeding, play, tummy time, bedtime, conversation. Parents are coached in what to do and why, with realistic expectations set from the start. We also make space for how the family is coping, and can arrange psychological support for parents where it would help.
Handover to school, and stepping down
As children approach nursery and school we provide reports and practical recommendations educators can use. And when a child no longer needs the programme, we say so and step support down.
Give your child the right support for every step of the way
Whether you want to schedule a baseline developmental assessment or discuss ongoing therapy, our team at CDC Dubai is here to help your child thrive from infancy into the school years. Book an appointment.
FAQ’S
How is this different from the Premature Baby Development Follow-up and from the Premature Babies Neurodevelopmental Clinic?
The Follow-up is an assessment — a structured developmental review giving you a clear picture at a point in time. This Support Program is the ongoing care that follows for children who need it: Multidisciplinary therapy plus monitoring across the years. The Neurodevelopmental Clinic is where much of this happens. Families often begin with an assessment and continue into the programme.
My child was premature but seems to be doing well. Is this necessary?
Many children born preterm develop typically, and if that is your child, structured monitoring may be all that is needed — and it is reasonable to want reassurance rather than therapy. The value of monitoring is that some preterm-related difficulties only become visible at preschool or school age, and catching them early is much easier than catching them late.
What is “corrected age” and why does it matter?
Corrected age adjusts for how early your baby arrived. A baby born three months early at 12 months old has a corrected age of 9 months, and it is fairer to compare them with a 9-month-old. We use corrected age for the first two years, which prevents both unnecessary worry and the opposite error of dismissing a real delay.
How often will we come in?
It varies with age and need — more frequently in infancy when therapy is active, less often during periods of monitoring.
Does my child need every therapy?
No. We prioritise, and we would rather do two things well than six things thinly. The plan focuses on what matters most now and changes as your child develops.
My baby was in a NICU at another hospital. Can you still see us?
Yes. We support families discharged from neonatal units across Dubai and the wider UAE, and we do not require your baby to have been born here. Bring your discharge summary and any assessments already done — or ask your neonatal team to send them to us directly — and we will build the baseline from your child’s full history.
Can a pediatric neurologist diagnose autism and ADHD?
Yes. A Pediatric Neurologist can evaluate children with developmental and behavioural concerns and help diagnose conditions such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ADHD, developmental delay, epilepsy, and other neurological disorders.