Organization is also important for processing of
sensory information. The sensory organs develop
in a specific sequence beginning with tactile,
followed by smell, taste, hearing, and vision (Figure
1). Hearing and especially vision are particularly
immature in preterm infants. Yet if one examines the NICU environment, these are the
systems that receive the greatest sensory input
(Figure 1), which is often inappropriate to the
infant's degree of CNS maturation and organization
(White-Traut, Nelson, Burns, & Cunningham,
1994). Als (1986) proposed that the there is a
mismatch between brain expectancy and environmental
input in the preterm infant, which can lead
to overwhelming sensory load and stress and
subsequent alterations in development.