Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 27, 2026

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
Early Identification of Sensory Processing Difficulties in High-Risk Infants
Joanne E Flanagan1, Sarah Schoen2, Lucy Jane Miller3
1Joanne E. Flanagan, ScD, OTR, is Assistant Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston; joflanag@utmb.edu.
Objective:
Our objective was to determine the extent to which young children at high risk for sensory processing difficulties differed from those who were at low risk.
Method:
We compared high- versus low-risk young children using standardized measures. High-risk participants had older siblings identified as having sensory processing difficulties after a comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation (n = 13); low-risk participants (n = 16) had typically developing siblings and no family history of sensory or other neurological disorders.
Results:
High-risk infants scored significantly lower on the Language and Cognitive scales of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition. The high-risk group presented with more atypical positions on the Toddler and Infant Motor Evaluation and fewer sensation-seeking behaviors on the Toddler Sensory Profile-2.
Conclusion:
Results suggest that sensory, motor, cognitive, and language dimensions may be associated with sensory processing difficulties. Implications exist for the design of future studies and for early intervention.
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