Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 14, 2026

How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns
07:39

How to Obtain Reliable Visual Event-related Potentials in Newborns

Published on: October 24, 2019

6.7K

Relationship between sleep characteristics, motor development, and sensory processing in late preterm infants

Rabia Zorlular1, Ali Zorlular1, Bulent Elbasan2

  • 1Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Health Sciences, Nigde Omer Halisdemir University, Nigde, Türkiye.

Sleep Medicine
|October 17, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Sleep duration and quality in late preterm infants are linked to motor development and sensory processing skills. Further research is needed to confirm these associations and explore interventions.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal development
  • Pediatric sleep science
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders

Background:

  • Late preterm infants (born between 34 and 36 weeks gestation) represent a significant proportion of births and are at increased risk for developmental challenges.
  • Sleep disturbances are common in preterm infants and may impact neurodevelopmental outcomes.
  • Understanding the interplay between sleep, motor skills, and sensory processing is crucial for early identification and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the relationship between sleep characteristics and motor development in late preterm infants.
  • To investigate the association between sleep patterns and sensory processing abilities in this population.
  • To identify specific sleep parameters that may influence neurodevelopmental trajectories.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 81 late preterm infants aged 6-9 months corrected age.
  • Sleep characteristics assessed using the Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire.
  • Motor development evaluated with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2) and sensory processing skills with the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI).
  • Linear and multiple regression analyses were performed, adjusting for corrected age, gestational age, and birth weight.

Main Results:

  • Nighttime sleep duration, number of night awakenings, sleep onset latency, and longest continuous sleep duration were significantly associated with both PDMS-2 and TSFI scores.
  • Multivariate analyses indicated that nighttime sleep duration was associated with TSFI subtests and total score.
  • Nighttime sleep duration and corrected age were associated with the PDMS-2 total score.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep characteristics, particularly nighttime sleep duration, appear to be associated with motor development and sensory processing skills in late preterm infants.
  • These findings highlight the potential importance of evaluating sleep in the context of neurodevelopmental assessments for this vulnerable population.
  • Longitudinal studies are recommended to establish causality and inform potential intervention strategies.
Abstract

Keywords:
Motor developmentPretermSensory processingSleep

More Related Videos

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants12:55

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants

Published on: December 26, 2013

9.6K
Preterm EEG: A Multimodal Neurophysiological Protocol19:32

Preterm EEG: A Multimodal Neurophysiological Protocol

Published on: February 18, 2012

29.0K

Related Concept Videos

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development01:14

Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development

The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
Exploration...
1.6K
Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
430
Sleep-Wake Cycles01:24

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and  rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
2.7K