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Published on: January 29, 2014
Sensory processing difficulties in school-age children born very preterm: An exploratory study
Tinka Bröring1, Marsh Königs2, Kim J Oostrom3
1Department of Medical Psychology, VU University Medical Center, de Boelelaan 1118, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Very preterm children experience somatosensory registration and sensory modulation challenges, impacting their development. Early screening for these sensory processing difficulties is crucial for appropriate follow-up care.
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.
Background:
Very preterm birth has a detrimental impact on the developing brain, including widespread white matter brain abnormalities that threaten efficient sensory processing. Yet, sensory processing difficulties in very preterm children are scarcely studied, especially at school age.
Aims:
To investigate somatosensory registration, multisensory integration and sensory modulation.
Participants:
57 very preterm school-age children (mean age=9.2years) were compared to 56 gender and age matched full-term children.
Methods:
Group differences on somatosensory registration tasks (Registration of Light Touch, Sensory Discrimination of Touch, Position Sense, Graphestesia), a computerized multisensory integration task, and the parent-reported Sensory Profile were investigated using t-tests and Mann-Whitney U tests.
Results:
In comparison to full-term children, very preterm children are less accurate on somatosensory registration tasks, including Registration of Light Touch (d=0.34), Position Sense (d=0.31) and Graphestesia (d=0.42) and show more sensory modulation difficulties (d=0.41), including both behavioral hyporesponsivity (d=0.52) and hyperresponsivity (d=0.56) to sensory stimuli. Tactile discrimination and multisensory integration efficiency were not affected in very preterm children. Aspects of sensory processing were only modestly related.
Conclusion:
Very preterm children show sensory processing difficulties regarding somatosensory registration and sensory modulation, and preserved multisensory (audio-visual) integration. Follow-up care for very preterm children should involve screening of sensory processing difficulties at least up to school age.
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