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Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development
06:19

Author Spotlight: Implications of Non-Nutritive Sucking on Speech Emergence and Infant Development

Published on: April 19, 2024

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Are sucking patterns and early spontaneous movements related to later developmental functioning outcomes? A cohort

Bilge N Yardımcı-Lokmanoğlu1, Numan Demir2, Doğan Porsnok3

  • 1Hacettepe University, Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Developmental and Early Physiotherapy Unit, Ankara, Türkiye. bilgenuryardimci@hacettepe.edu.tr.

European Journal of Pediatrics
|January 13, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Early sucking patterns and spontaneous movements in at-risk infants predict later development. Abnormalities in Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale (NOMAS) sucking and General Movements Assessment (GMA) predict developmental disorders.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal development
  • Developmental pediatrics
  • Movement science

Background:

  • Sucking patterns and early spontaneous movements are crucial for predicting developmental outcomes.
  • Previous research has studied these factors separately, but their combined predictive value and long-term impact remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between sucking patterns (Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale - NOMAS) and general movements (General Movements Assessment - GMA) in at-risk infants.
  • To determine the association between these early assessments and later developmental functioning outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal analysis of NOMAS (34 weeks postmenstrual age to 10 weeks post-term) and GMA (9-20 weeks post-term) in 102 at-risk infants.
  • Developmental outcomes assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development-Third Edition (Bayley-III) in 62 infants (12-42 months).

Main Results:

  • A significant relationship was found between NOMAS and Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R) from GMA (p<0.05).
  • Both NOMAS and GMA (MOS-R) were significantly associated with later cognitive, language, and motor development (Bayley-III, p<0.05).
  • Early spontaneous movements showed a higher predictive value for developmental outcomes than sucking patterns alone.

Conclusions:

  • The quality of sucking patterns and general movements, including fidgety movements, are linked to later developmental functioning in at-risk infants.
  • Abnormal sucking patterns, aberrant fidgety movements, and lower MOS-R scores may indicate a risk for developmental disorders.
  • Combined assessment of sucking and movement patterns offers valuable insights into predicting developmental trajectories.

Keywords:
Developmental functioningEarly spontaneous movementsFidgety movementsGeneral movementsSucking pattern

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