Table 2.
The r-value for each item to total score, its item to its subscales.
| Number of item | Variable | Total score | Respiratory regulation | Oral motor function | Swallowing coordination | Engagement | Physiologic stability |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Integrates breaths within the sucking burst | .724** | .681 | ||||
| 2 | Times the length of the sucking burst to remain stable | .596 | .739 | ||||
| 3 | Organizes long sucking bursts (7 + sucks) without signs of behavioral or cardio-respiratory instability | .628 | .807 | ||||
| 4 | Each time the nipple is received, transitions to sucking without behavioral or cardio-respiratory signs of instability | .604 | .702 | ||||
| 5 | Increased work of breathing | .673 | .727 | ||||
| 6 | Promptly starts sucking once nipple is received | .757 | .825 | ||||
| 7 | Sucks with steady and strong suction | .751 | .830 | ||||
| 8 | Actively opens mouth and drops tongue to receive the nipple when lips are stroked | .731 | .842 | ||||
| 9 | Loss of milk at lips | .656 | .755 | ||||
| 10 | Gulping or effortful swallows | .751 | .829 | ||||
| 11 | Gurgling/rattle sounds created by fluid in the nose or pharynx | .696 | .764 | ||||
| 12 | High-pitched “yelping” sound as the airway re-opens after the swallow | .604 | .784 | ||||
| 13 | Coughing or choking sounds | .418 | .617 | ||||
| 14 | Energy | .749 | .927 | ||||
| 15 | State | .795 | .939 | ||||
| 16 | Color change | .628 | .730 | ||||
| 17 | Stable oxygen saturation | .305 | .578 | ||||
| 18 | Stable heart rate | .495 | .694 | ||||
| 19 | Stress | .443 | .593 |
*P < 0.05: using Pearson correlation analysis; r-table = .1736.
*,*P < 0.01: using Pearson correlation analysis.