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Updated: Sep 15, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Birth weight, neonatal morbidities, and school age outcomes in full-term and preterm infants
Margaret McGrath1, Mary Sullivan
1College of Nursing, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island 02881, USA. risc@etal.uri.edu
Insights
Children born full-term generally achieve higher school-age outcomes. Premature infants, especially those with low birth weight or neonatal morbidities, may face developmental challenges, including math underachievement.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neonatal Research
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Birth weight and neonatal health significantly impact long-term child development.
- Understanding these early influences is crucial for identifying at-risk populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between birth weight, neonatal morbidities, and school-age outcomes.
- To identify specific developmental trajectories associated with prematurity and neonatal complications.
Main Methods:
- Prospective longitudinal study of 188 infants (151 preterm) from birth to age 8.
- Stratification by birth weight and socioeconomic status.
- High retention rate (97%) ensuring robust data.
Main Results:
- A gradient relationship observed, with full-term infants scoring highest.
- Very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight groups showed equivocal scores, except in visual perception.
- Findings suggest a pattern consistent with nonverbal learning disability, marked by math underachievement and adequate verbal skills.
- Infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic lung disease, intraventricular hemorrhage, or sepsis scored 10-20 points below the mean.
Conclusions:
- Birth weight is a significant predictor of school-age outcomes.
- Neonatal morbidities are associated with lower cognitive and academic performance.
- Early identification and intervention for preterm infants and those with neonatal complications are warranted.
Abstract:
In this prospective longitudinal study, birth weight and neonatal morbidities were evaluated relative to a broad range of school age outcomes. Fully 188 infants, 151 who were preterm, were recruited at birth, stratified by birth weight and socioeconomic status, and were followed until age 8 with a 97% retention rate. A gradient relationship was found among birth groups, with full-term children earning the highest scores. The very low birth weight and extremely low birth weight groups were equivocal in all scores except visual perception. The findings also were consistent with a pattern of nonverbal learning disability (Rourke, 1995) in which there is evidence of math underachievement and adequate performance in verbal, reading, and spelling scores. Children who had bronchopulmonary dysplasia, chronic lung disease, intraventricular hemorrhage, and sepsis differed from children without these neonatal morbidities, with an average of 10-20 points below the mean.
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