One of the impairments evaluated in children with cerebral palsy (CP), which perhaps has been least investigated, is reduced selective motor control. The aim of the present study was to determine c...

Introduction: Identifying sensory processing problems of 12‐month‐old preterm and term children and defining their relationship with motor skills are essential for appropriate interventions and optimal sensory‐motor development. This study aimed to determine sensory processing difficulties in 12‐month‐old babies and examine their relationship with motor skills.Methods: This cross‐sectional study included 61 infants (28 preterm and 33 full‐term, ages 12 months). The infants' sensory processing skills were evaluated using the Test of Sensory Functions in Infants (TSFI), and their gross and fine motor skills were assessed with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales‐2 (PDMS‐2).Results: Sensory processing difficulties were more common in preterm babies. Multiple linear regression models indicated a significant positive association between PDMS‐2 gross/fine motor scores and TFSI total scores, reactivity to tactile deep pressure, and ocular‐motor control in the total sample. Furthermore, there was a relationship between gross motor and adaptive motor function, and fine motor scores were found to be associated with visual‐tactile integration sensory scores.Conclusions: Preterm babies are more likely than their full‐term peers to have sensory processing problems around the age of one, which can affect their motor skills. The results support the relationship between children's sensory and motor processing skills. Practitioners such as occupational and physical therapists should be alert to this relationship in infants with sensory processing and motor problems. Taking this relationship into consideration when planning intervention programs can be a guide for an effective intervention.

Minor neurological dysfunction (MND) has been associated with learning, cognitive, and motor problems in preterm children. This study aims to study the prevalence of MND in preterm children without cerebral palsy in the preschool period and to investigate its association with school readiness. Forty-four children born at less than 37 weeks of gestation and 35 term children at a mean age of 5 years 6 months were included in the study. MND was classified according to Touwen. School readiness was assessed with the Marmara Primary School Readiness Scale. The prevalence of MND in preterm preschoolers was higher compared to their term-peers. Linear regression analyses showed that MND was the strongest predictor of school readiness in the preterm group. Preterm children, in the absence of CP, are at risk of MND and this is associated with school readiness. Greater emphasis needs to be placed on the follow-up, and an intervention should be prepared for preterm children with MND when they are starting school.