An investigation of sensory processing skill in preterm and term infants

Abstract

Purpose: Preterm infants may have sensory processing problems (SPP) due to central nervous system immaturity and excessive sensory stimuli of newborn intensive care units. The aim of this study was to compare the sensory processing skills in the preterm and term infants and to investigate the SSP of the preterm infants. Methods: Thirty preterm infants corrected aged 10-12 months and 30 term infants chronological aged 10-12 months were included in this study. After recording the sociodemographic and delivery data of the infants, Test of Sensory Function in Infant (TSFI) was used to evaluate their sensory processing. Results: When the groups were compared, term infants were found to be higher TSFI total score (p<0.001). According to the TSFI total scores, 60% of the preterm infants had SPP while 13% of the term infants had SPP. Tactile processing, motor praxis, visual-tactile integration (p<0.05), and vestibular processing (p<0.01) scores of the preterm infants were found to be lower than the term infants. Conclusion: When compared with the term infants, it was found that the preterm infants were insufficient in terms of sensory processing skills. Consideration of sensory processing skills in early developmental evaluation and interventions will contribute to supporting the development of preterm infants.