The effect of motor function and oral motor functions on quality of life in children diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type I

The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of motor and oral motor functions on the quality of life in children aged 2–4 years diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type I. In the study, the Neuro-Sensory-Motor Developmental Assessment (NSMDA) was used to evaluate motor functions, the Functional Oral Intake Scale (FOIS) to assess oral motor function, the Behavioral Pediatric Feeding Assessment Scale (BPFAS) to evaluate children's attitudes towards feeding, and the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Neuromuscular Module to assess quality of life. The study included 23 children (14 boys, 9 girls) aged between 2 and 4 years (3.04 ± 0.76) who were diagnosed with SMA Type I and met the inclusion criteria. The results revealed a strong correlation between NSMDA sub-scores—including gross motor, fine motor, neurological, movement patterns, postural balance subtotal, tactile, oculomotor, sensory-motor, and total NSMDA scores—and FOIS (p<0.05). Additionally, a significant relationship was found between NSMDA sub-scores—including gross motor, fine motor, neurological, movement patterns, postural adjustment, tactile, oculomotor, sensory-motor, and total NSMDA scores—and BPFAS (p <0.05). Moreover, high correlations were observed between NSMDA sub-scores—including gross motor, fine motor, neurological, movement patterns, total postural balance, tactile, oculomotor, vestibular, sensory-motor, and total NSMDA scores—and the PedsQL sub-scores related to "my/my child's neuromuscular disease," "communication," and "family resources" (p<0.05). Furthermore, significant correlations were identified between FOIS and PedsQL scores, as well as between BPFAS and PedsQL scores (p < 0.05). It was observed that the loss of motor functions in children diagnosed with SMA Type I adversely affected oral motor skills, subsequently diminishing their overall quality of life.