While the basic physical structure of the sensory receptors (i.e. eyes, ears etc.) develops early in gestation, most of the neurosensory development occurs in the last sixteen to twenty weeks.

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The neurological processes are not accelerated by preterm birth. Preterm birth accelerates the maturation of the kidney, gastrointestinal, lung and cardiovascular function but does not alter the sequence or timing of neurodevelopment.

The contrasting environment from the womb to the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) play a major role in the altered neurodevelopment observed in preterm infants. The brain development in the foetus, neonate, and infant includes not just sensory systems but motor systems, social/emotional systems, and the cognitive systems. These systems are connected and integrated during development. The development of the brain relies on a number of factors including genetics, internal brain activity and sleep but also relies largely on their external environment and appropriate stimulation to support early brain development.

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Why are preterm babies at an increased risk for sensory integration problems?

 

In the womb, a baby spends their time curled up, cozy and warm in the dark, listening to natural white noise in the form their mother’s heartbeat and muted sounds from the outside world. Meanwhile, their nervous system is developing forming essential nerve cell connections. When a baby is born prematurely, their nervous system is immature and  disorganised and unable to tolerate all of the sensory messages presented.

 

Most NICUs do their best to minimise over stimulation, however the inevitable beeping and buzzing equipment, room lighting, and busy atmosphere can agitate sensitive preterm babies.

 

• be highly sensitive to noise, light, touch, and movement, even beyond the second birthday

• retain startle reflexes longer than usual

• have muscles that tend to be either stiff or floppy, or a mix of both.

• be very distractible and highly active, or extremely quiet and sleep more than expected

• have increased risk for vision problems

• often develop oral defensiveness because of negative oral experiences with feeding tubes, respirators and suctioning. This can interfere with feeding, as can abnormal muscle tone inside the mouth Most of the sensory based difficulties resolve as the baby’s nervous system matures.

 

How does this initial environment impact on your baby’s sensory development?

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The womb is the perfect sensory space for a baby, natures perfectly designed swaddle. In contrast, the NICU is a sterile environment that allows for little to no interaction with your little one. In addition their fragile sensory systems are over stimulated.