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Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
Published on: April 19, 2024
The development of sucking patterns in preterm, small-for-gestational age infants
Saakje P da Costa1, Cees P van der Schans, Mar J Zweens
1Research and Innovation Group in Health Care and Nursing, Hanze University Groningen, University of Applied Sciences, and the Department of Pediatrics, Martini Hospital Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. s.p.da.costa@pl.hanze.nl
Objective:
To determine whether the development of sucking patterns in small-for-gestational age (SGA) preterm infants differs from appropriate-for-gestational age (AGA) preterm infants.
Study Design:
We assessed sucking patterns in 15 SGA and 34 AGA preterms (gestational age
Results:
SGA preterms developed a normal sucking pattern later than did AGA preterms (median, 50 versus 44 weeks PMA, P=.002). At term-equivalent age, none of the SGA and 38% of the AGA preterms showed normal sucking (P<.05); at 48 to 50 weeks PMA this was 54% and 81%, respectively (P=.064). Abnormal sucking including "incoordination" and dysfunctional sucking were more prevalent in SGA preterms than in AGA preterms (median, 11% versus 0% per infant, P<.05). A higher gestational age and z-score for birth weight were predictive of normal sucking at 50 weeks PMA.
Conclusions:
SGA preterms developed a normal sucking pattern later than AGA preterms. Many AGA preterms also developed a normal mature sucking pattern only after they had reached term age.
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