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Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
Published on: April 19, 2024
Multisensory intervention for preterm infants improves sucking organization
Barbara Medoff-Cooper1, Kristin Rankin, Zhuoying Li
1Department of Family and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA (Dr Medoff-Cooper); Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health (Drs Rankin and Liu), and Children and Family Health Science, College of Nursing (Drs Li and White-Traut), University of Illinois at Chicago; and Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Milwaukee (Dr White-Traut).
Insights
The Auditory, Tactile, Visual, and Vestibular (ATVV) intervention significantly improved sucking organization in premature infants. This multisensory approach enhances oral feeding maturation for better infant growth and development.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal development
- Infant feeding interventions
- Sensory integration in neonates
Background:
- Premature infants often face challenges with feeding, self-regulation, and growth.
- Hypersensitivity to stimulation and reduced behavioral alertness are common in preterm infants.
- Effective infant feeding is crucial for growth and a key concern for caregivers and clinicians.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of the Auditory, Tactile, Visual, and Vestibular (ATVV) intervention on sucking organization in premature infants.
- To assess if a multisensory intervention can enhance feeding capabilities in preterm neonates.
- To determine the efficacy of the ATVV intervention in a randomized controlled trial.
Main Methods:
- A randomized controlled trial involving 183 healthy premature infants (29-34 weeks postmenstrual age).
- Sucking organization parameters were measured at baseline and weekly throughout hospitalization.
- The Auditory, Tactile, Visual, and Vestibular (ATVV) intervention was administered to the study group.
Main Results:
- The ATVV intervention group showed significantly faster increases in the number of sucks and sucks per burst by day 7.
- Maturity index improved quadratically in the intervention group, with significant differences by day 7.
- Sucking pressure demonstrated a linear increase over time, with significant between-group differences noted by day 14.
Conclusions:
- The ATVV intervention led to improved sucking organization in hospitalized premature infants.
- Findings suggest the ATVV intervention effectively promotes the maturation of oral feeding skills.
- Future research should incorporate multiple, same-day or consecutive-day tests for more sensitive assessment of feeding behavior maturation.
Background:
Premature infants are at risk for difficulties in feeding, social interaction, and growth. Many premature infants exhibit a lower capacity for self-regulation, resulting in less behavioral alertness and hypersensitivity to stimulation. Feeding is critically important because it is a primary factor for infant growth and a major concern for both parents and clinicians.
Purpose:
The aim of this randomized controlled trial was to evaluate sucking organization in premature infants following a preterm infant multisensory intervention, the Auditory, Tactile, Visual, and Vestibular (ATVV) intervention.
Methods:
A convenience sample of 183 healthy premature infants born 29-34 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA) enrolled. Sucking organization was measured at baseline, then weekly, during the infant's hospital stay.
Results:
A quadratic trend was observed for number of sucks, sucks per burst, and maturity index with the intervention group increasing significantly faster by day 7 (model estimates for group × day: β= 13.69, P < .01; β = 1.16, P < .01; and β= 0.12, P < .05, respectively). Sucking pressure increased linearly over time, with significant between-group differences at day 14 (β= 45.66, P < .01).
Implications For Practice:
The ATVV infants exhibited improved sucking organization during hospitalization, suggesting that the ATVV intervention improves maturation of oral feeding.
Implications For Research:
Further research that includes 2 or more tests, delivered the same day and/or over consecutive days, will provide researchers and clinicians a more sensitive indicator of maturational changes in feeding behaviors.
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