The relationship between perinatal complications and sensory-motor functions was examined. Information from the Maternal Perinatal Scale (MPS) was used to predict factor scores of the Dean Sensory-Motor Battery (DSMB). Participants were 187 normal nonreferred children who were administered the DSMB while their mothers completed the MPS. Using MPS items as predictors, separate stepwise regression analyses for each DSMB factor found that 11 - 16% of variance could be accounted for in sensory-motor performance. At least three MPS items significantly contributed to the prediction of each DSMB factor. Predictors of Sensory and Simple Motor functions (DSMB Factor I) included maternal bleeding during pregnancy, delay between membrane rupture (water break) and onset of labor, and evidence of hypoxia. Evidence of hypoxia, maternal bleeding during pregnancy, and delay between water break and labor onset were predictive of Motor and Complex Sensory functions (DSMB Factor II). In addition, gender of the child joined maternal bleeding during pregnancy, amount of swelling during pregnancy, and mother's height in predicting Subcortical Motor functions (DSMB Factor III). Additional analyses using a canonical correlation confirmed the results of the regression analyses. A linear composite of sensory and motor variables was primarily defined by DSMB factors I and II. The linear composite of perinatal information was defined primarily by the same items that emerged as significant predictors of sensorymotor functions in the regression analyses. Most notably, a redundancy analysis indicated that about 20% of variance in DSMB factor scores could be accounted for by a linear composite of perinatal information. In general, sensory-motor performance decreased as severity of perinatal complications increased. Results were discussed in terms of the implications of using a normal non-referred population. More importantly, the present data suggested the possibility that 1) the relationship between perinatal complications and sensory-motor functions may exist on a continuum rather than the dichotomous diagnosis/no diagnosis, and 2) the synergistic influence of multiple perinatal complications may contribute to the manifestation of clinically significant behaviors. The role of sensory-motor functions as a foundation for more complex behaviors is also discussed. / Department of Educational Psychology
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:BSU/oai:cardinalscholar.bsu.edu:handle/176789 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Hill, S. Kristian |
| Contributors | Dean, Raymond S. |
| Source Sets | Ball State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Format | vi, 112 leaves ; 28 cm. |
| Source | Virtual Press |
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