title: Sensory profiles of children born < 30 weeks' gestation at 2 years of age and their environmental and biological predictors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Sensory profiles are increasingly used by therapists to assess children. There is limited information on how sensory profiles differ between very preterm (VPT) children and term controls, or on the predictors of sensory profiles in VPT children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to examine sensory profiles of children born <30 weeks' gestation at 2 years and their environmental and biological influences.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  253 VPT children born <30 weeks' gestation and 65 term-born controls (>36 weeks' gestation).
  
  
  METHODS
  Sensory profiles were examined with the Infant/Toddler Sensory Profile Questionnaire, which measures the child's responsiveness in four sensory quadrants and in five sensory processing sections. Standardised z scores for the VPT sample were compared with the controls, and predictors of VPT infant sensory profiles were determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  VPT children had scores consistent with stronger patterns across all four sensory quadrants compared with controls, indicating a stronger interaction between neurological thresholds to elicit a response and self-regulation strategies. In addition they also exhibited more of the behaviours in all sensory processing sections compared with controls. Male sex, higher social risk, increasing length of stay, and moderate to severe white matter abnormality on MRI at term-equivalent age were associated with stronger sensory profile patterns in some quadrants, and more behaviours in some sensory processing sections.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Sensory profiles differed between VPT children and term-born controls, with stronger sensory profile patterns associated with male sex, higher social risk, longer hospital stay, and moderate to severe white matter abnormality.
authors.affiliation: Victorian Infant Brain Studies, Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. abbey.eeles@thewomens.org.au
authors.forename: Abbey L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Eeles
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Nisha C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Katherine J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Roslyn N
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: Alicia J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Spittle
authors.forename: Lex W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Doyle
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D062071:Infant, Extremely Premature / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012677:Sensation; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Child development; Preterm infant; Sensory processing; Sensory profile