Parents' report of sensory responsiveness and temperament in preterm infants.
OBJECTIVE
Although most infants born prematurely do not have major developmental problems, those with perinatal medical problems and lengthy stays in the neonatal intensive care unit are at risk for sensory modulation problems and developmental sequelae. This study compared sensory responsiveness in preterm and full-term infants and examined the relationship of sensory responsiveness to temperament and developmental function.


METHODS
Caregivers of infants with (n = 45) and without (n = 22) prematurity were asked to complete the Sensory Rating Scale. The preterm infants were also evaluated with the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, Second Edition (BSID-II).


RESULTS
The preterm infants exhibited more frequent behaviors indicating tactile defensiveness and difficult temperament than did the full-term infants. When specific items were examined, the preterm infants displayed sensory-seeking behaviors and high activity levels. As measured by caregivers' report, sensory responsiveness was significantly related to temperament. It was not related to BSID-II Mental and Psychomotor scale scores.


CONCLUSIONS
This study supports the findings of others that preterm infants have mild problems in sensory responsiveness and temperament. Correlational results do not support a definitive relationship between parents' reports of their infants' sensory responsiveness and developmental function.
Case-Smith
J
J
Division of Occupational Therapy, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA.
Butcher
L
L
Reed
D
D
D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012494:Sampling Studies; D012677:Sensation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013694:Temperament / Q000502:physiology*