Children born before 37 gestational weeks

Children born after 37 weeks of gestation

Sensory processing skills and gross and fine motor development of preterm and term born children were evaluated.

The Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI) is a standardized and reliable tool designed to evaluate the sensory development of infants aged 4-18 months. Consisting of 24 items, the TSFI measures reactions in five distinct subdomains: tactile deep pressure, visual-tactile integration, adaptive motor function, ocular motor function, and reactivity to vestibular stimulation [1]. A specific age-normalized score is generated for each subdomain, contributing to a total score determined by the sum of all subdomains. The total score ranges from 0 to 49, with higher scores indicating more typical sensory responsiveness and lower scores suggesting behaviors associated with sensory over-responsivity [2]. In this study, a physiotherapist administered the TSFI to assess the sensory development of infants.

The PDMS-2 is a widely employed and acknowledged assessment tool for evaluating a child's motor abilities. Its primary purpose is to distinguish and aid in identifying developmental delays in children aged 5 and below by comparing their performance against established norms [3]. The gross motor skills section includes 4 subtests: reflexes, stationary, locomotion, and object manipulation. Similarly, the fine motor skills segment consists of 2 subtests: grasping and visual-motor integration. Each item in the test is evaluated using a 3-point scoring system.