Sensory processing difficulties in school-age children born very preterm: An exploratory study.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Very preterm birth can lead to brain abnormalities affecting sensory processing.
• Sensory processing in very preterm children remains understudied, particularly during school age.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate somatosensory registration, multisensory integration, and sensory modulation in very preterm school-age children.
• To compare sensory processing abilities between very preterm and full-term children.

Main Methods:

• Compared 57 very preterm children with 56 full-term children (mean age 9.2 years).
• Assessed somatosensory registration (light touch, touch discrimination, position sense, graphesthesia) and multisensory integration.
• Utilized parent-reported Sensory Profile and statistical tests (t-tests, Mann-Whitney U).

Main Results:

• Very preterm children demonstrated poorer somatosensory registration accuracy (light touch, position sense, graphesthesia).
• Increased sensory modulation difficulties, including hypo- and hyperresponsivity, were observed in very preterm children.
• Multisensory integration and tactile discrimination were not significantly different between groups.

Conclusions:

• Very preterm children exhibit specific sensory processing deficits in somatosensory registration and modulation.
• Multisensory (audio-visual) integration appears preserved in this population.
• Routine screening for sensory processing difficulties is recommended for very preterm children through school age.