Motor development and sensory processing: A comparative study between preterm and term infants.
Deep-pressure touch and postural control items at 4–6 months predict bottom-tier gross-motor scores in preterm infants even when total test scores look fine.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team watched 4- to 6-month-old babies who were born early. They also watched babies born on time.
They used two quick tests. One checked how each baby reacted to touch and body position. The other checked big-muscle skills like rolling and sitting.
What they found
Total scores on the two tests did not line up. A baby could look fine on the overall sheet yet still move like only 5 out of 100 peers.
Every baby who hated deep-pressure hugs or who slumped in seat-like holds landed at or below that 5th percentile mark.
How this fits with other research
Boets et al. (2011) saw the same risk group a few months later. They found late preterm toddlers had weaker sensory modulation at 12 months. Together the papers form a timeline: flag touch and posture at 4–6 months, watch modulation at 12 months.
Cohrs et al. (2017) showed toddlers with global delay over-react to light touch. Invenção’s babies under-reacted or had poor postural tone. Same sense, different pattern, same clue—touch is a red flag across ages.
Payne et al. (2020) linked early sensory-motor gaps to poorer planning in Down syndrome infants. The theme repeats: tiny sensory-motor signs forecast later skill gaps.
Why it matters
You can spot motor trouble before it shows on the gross-motor chart. While the baby is still on your lap, note if he arches away from firm touch or melts into you like a rag doll. Those two items predict bottom-tier motor scores even when the rest looks normal. Add them to your quick checklist and you will refer for services earlier.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
UNLABELLED: Infants born preterm and/or with low birth weight may present a clinical condition of organic instability and usually face a long period of hospitalization in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units, being exposed to biopsychosocial risk factors to their development due to decreased spontaneous movement and excessive sensory stimuli. This study assumes that there are relationships between the integration of sensory information of preterm infants, motor development and their subsequent effects. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the sensory processing and motor development in preterm infants aged 4-6 months and compare performance data with their peers born at term. METHOD: This was a cross-sectional and comparative study consisting of a group of preterm infants (n=15) and a group of term infants (n=15), assessed using the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI) and the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). RESULTS: The results showed no significant association between motor performance on the AIMS scale (total score) and sensory processing in the TSFI (total score). However, all infants who scored abnormal in the total TSFI score, subdomain 1, and subdomain 5 presented motor performance at or below the 5th percentile on the AIMS scale. CONCLUSION: Since all infants who presented definite alteration in tolerating tactile deep pressure and poor postural control are at risk of delayed gross motor development, there may be peculiarities not detected by the tests used that seem to establish some relationship between sensory processing and motor development.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2014.09.018