Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 5, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Randomized clinical trial investigating the effect of consistent, developmentally-appropriate, and evidence-based
Roberta Pineda1,2,3,4, Joan Smith5, Jessica Roussin6
1Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA. bobbi.pineda@chan.usc.edu.
Objective:
Evaluate the effect of a manualized multisensory program, applied across NICU hospitalization, on infant and parent outcomes.
Study Design:
Seventy parent-infant dyads (born ≤32 weeks gestation) in a Level IV NICU were randomized at birth to the multisensory program or standard-of-care. Parents in the multisensory group administered prespecified amounts of age-appropriate, evidence-based sensory interventions to their infants each day during NICU hospitalization according to the Supporting and Enhancing NICU Sensory Experiences (SENSE) program.
Results:
Infants who received the SENSE program had more lethargy on the NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale (NNNS) (p = 0.05), even after controlling for medical and social risk (p = 0.043), and had higher Communication scores on the Ages and Stages Questionnaire (p = 0.04) at 1-year corrected age, but this relationship failed to reach significance after controlling for medical and social risk (p = 0.12).
Conclusion:
The SENSE program shows promise for improving outcomes, but more research with larger sample sizes is needed.
