Response to: 'Comment on 'Direct swallowing training and oral sensorimotor stimulation in preterm infants: a randomised controlled trial by Heo et al by Harding et al

We would like to thank Harding et al for their comments on our paper.1 However, contrary to their understanding, the combined direct swallowing training (DST) and oral sensorimotor stimulation group in our study reached independent oral feeding at 35+1 weeks’ postmenstrual age (PMA), which was earlier than the DST group of our study as well as that of Lau and Smith’s study.2 And even when only the DST groups of the two studies were compared, the DST group of our study reached the independent oral feeding earlier than that of Lau and Smith’s study.2 These results might be related to the timing of initiation of interventions, as they mentioned. In our study, interventions were initiated around PMA 32 weeks, prior to starting oral feeding. From a developmental point of view, these prefeeding interventions are thought to be more effective in improving infants’ oral...

Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition - December 15, 2022 Category: Perinatology & Neonatology Authors: Heo, J. S., Kim, E.-K., Kim, S. Y., Song, I. G., Yoon, Y. M., Cho, H., Lee, E. S., Shin, S. H., Oh, B.-M., Shin, H. I., Kim, H.-S. Tags: PostScript Source Type: research