*4.1.4 "NIDCAP®"*

"NIDCAP®, " i.e., Newborn Individualized Developmental Care and Assessment Program has been developed by Heidelise Als and her team members at Boston Children's Hospital. By distinguishing normal from abnormal neonatal behavior and in trying to obtain some prognostic conclusions about long-term development from newborn period behavior, Als became aware of the enormous influence that intensive care does have on the behavior of full-term and preterm newborn infants. Starting with these observations, the entire concept that should enable optimal development of each premature infant through individual care, and in spite of interfering intensive care treatment influences, was developed and patented [133, 134]. Neonatal care according to "NIDCAP®" principles has become more and more popular all over the world; it has been imported and implemented in Europe and is applied in the NICU at the Neonatology Unit at the University of Heidelberg, Germany. It has been designed for professionals that deal with preterm infants and their parents; its main issue is "reading the preterm infant" [135]. The individual intervention consists of daily (7 days a week) observation and evaluation of the infant's behavior, of support for care-givers in understanding the infant's stress and

comfort signals, and of suggestions for parents and staff in terms of ways to support the infant's development, i.e., adjust their care according to these signals. The concept treats infants as active participants in the care provided, which is certainly most reasonable [14].
