Sensory Processing of Infants Born Prematurely or with Regulatory Disorders

The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in sensory processing among normal full-term infants, full-term infants with a regulatory disorder, and prematurely born infants. The Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI), a 24-item test designed to measure sensory processing and reactivity in infants, was administered to 329 infants, ages 7 to 18 months. The subjects included 228 infants considered normal, 45 infants with regulatory disorders, and 56 infants born prematurely. The infants with regulatory disorders had problems with sleep and eating, high irritability and sever separation anxiety. Prematurely born infants or those with a regulatory disorder scored lower than the normal infants on the TSFI. Sensory processing disorders were seen at each age for infants with regulatory disorders and those born prematurely. Infants with regulatory disorders scored lower than the prematurely born infants at 7 to 9 months in adaptive-motor skills, at 7 to 9 and 10 to 1 months in visual-tactile integration, and at 7 to 9 months in overall sensory prcessing. In contrast, the infants born prematurely scored lower than infants with regulatory disorders at 10 to 12 months in ocular-motor control and at 13 to 18 months in responses to movement in space. The results suggest that differences in sensory processing of infants with regulatory disorders are evident when compared to children born prematurely.