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Sensory profile in infants and toddlers with behavioral insomnia and/or feeding disorders

R Tauman1, H Avni2, A Drori-Asayag3

  • 1The Pediatric Sleep Center, Dana Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.

Sleep Medicine
|April 4, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Children with behavioral insomnia (BI) or feeding disorders (FDs) show distinct sensory processing differences compared to healthy peers. These sensory profiles, often hypersensitive, may contribute to the development and co-occurrence of these common childhood conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Psychology
  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Sensory Processing Research

Background:

  • Sleep and feeding difficulties are prevalent in early childhood.
  • These conditions frequently co-occur, suggesting shared underlying factors.
  • Child-specific characteristics significantly influence both sleep and feeding disorders.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the sensory profiles of infants and toddlers diagnosed with behavioral insomnia (BI) or feeding disorders (FDs).
  • To compare the sensory profiles of children with BI or FDs against healthy, age-matched controls.
  • To explore potential links between sensory processing and the co-occurrence of sleep and feeding issues.

Main Methods:

  • Recruitment of children aged 7-36 months with BI or FDs from specialized clinics.
  • Inclusion of healthy controls from well-baby clinics for comparison.
  • Parental completion of a questionnaire including demographics and the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile (ITSP) for sensory evaluation.

Main Results:

  • Children with BI (n=25) and FDs (n=28) exhibited significantly lower oral processing scores compared to controls (n=32).
  • The FD group showed lower auditory processing scores than controls.
  • FD group demonstrated significantly lower scores in Low Registration, Sensory Sensitivity, and Sensation Avoiding quadrants of the ITSP; the BI group showed lower Sensation Avoiding scores.

Conclusions:

  • Significant differences in parental-reported sensory processing exist between children with BI/FDs and healthy controls, often indicating a hypersensitive profile.
  • These sensory processing variations may contribute to the etiology and explain the comorbidity of behavioral insomnia and feeding disorders.
  • Sensory profiling presents a potential therapeutic target for managing sleep and feeding disorders in early childhood.
Abstract

Keywords:
FeedingInfancySensory processingSleep

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