James Helm, PhD, Infant Development and Family Specialist and Senior NIDCAP Trainer, explains the meaning of sleep in preterm infants and shares ways in which parents can contribute to the maturation of their infant’s sleep and awake states.
James Helm, PhD, or Jim Helm, worked in the NICU at WakeMed Ð Raleigh, NC for over thirty years as an Infant Development and Family Specialist. He was a Senior NIDCAP Trainer, Director of the Carolina NIDCAP Training Center and, as a founding member, on the Board of Directors of the NIDCAP Federation International for 19 years. While at WakeMed he was also a Brazelton NBAS and TouchPoints trainer and directed the Home-Hospital Intervention Program (HHIP) for 9 years. He began his career working for 10 years in early intervention in the Maryland-Washington DC area then received his PhD at the University of North Carolina Ð Chapel Hill in Early Childhood Special Education, starting his work in the WakeMed NICU and follow-up clinic during that time. Jim continues to support the NFI by serving on several committees and is available for lectures and training.