Prevalence of psychomotor retardation and its relation to the sensory profile in preschool children

Abstract

The psychological and motor development of typically developing preschool children is usually not tracked in the educational environment. The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of psychomotor retardation and the relationship between psychomotor development and sensory integration processes. The sample included 66 children from preschool, with a mean age of 4.2 years. It applied the Observational Scale of Development in its short version (EOD-B as its Spanish original term) and the Sensory Profile (SP). The ANOVA revealed a strong association between the presence of psychomotor and sensory processing disorders (p = 0.001). In addition, the data revealed a high prevalence of regulatory disorders in the sensory profile (30%) and psychomotor retardation (20%). The results open new lines of research and intervention in psychomotor development within the educational environment.