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Preschool development of very low birth weight children born 1994-1995
Claudia Hanke1, Arnold Lohaus2, Caterina Gawrilow1
1Department of Psychology, University of Marburg, Gutenbergstrasse 18, 35032, Marburg, Germany.
Insights
Pre-term children born with very low birth weight (< or =1500 g) show significant developmental deficits in intellectual development, language, and behavior by age 5-6. These outcomes persist despite advances in neonatal care, linked to increased survival of high-risk infants.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Neonatology
Background:
- Pre-term birth is a significant risk factor for adverse developmental outcomes.
- Neonatal intensive care has evolved, improving survival rates for vulnerable infants.
- Long-term developmental trajectories of very low birth weight infants require ongoing investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the developmental status of pre-term children (birth weight <= 1500 g) at 5-6 years of age.
- To compare developmental outcomes between pre-term children and a matched control group of term-born children.
- To identify factors influencing developmental deficits in pre-term survivors.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 60 pre-term children (birth weight <= 1500 g) born in 1994-1995.
- Matched control group of 60 term-born children from the same region.
- Assessment of intellectual development, language comprehension, attentiveness, and hyperactivity at 5-6 years.
Main Results:
- Significant differences observed in intellectual development, language comprehension, attentiveness, and hyperactivity between pre-term and term children.
- Pre-term children required more early intervention services.
- Developmental deficits were exacerbated by biological risk factors such as low birth weight, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and intraventricular hemorrhage.
Conclusions:
- Developmental disparities between pre-term and term children persist despite advancements in neonatal care.
- Increased survival rates of high-risk pre-term infants contribute to the continued presence of developmental differences.
- Early intervention is crucial for mitigating developmental challenges in pre-term populations.
Unlabelled:
This study reports on the developmental outcome of a sample of pre-term children with a birth weight < or =1500 g born in 1994 and 1995 studied at the age of 5 to 6 years. The sample included 60 out of 81 surviving pre-term children (74.1%) of a German neonatal intensive care unit which was matched to a control group of 60 kindergarten children of the same region. The results show significant differences between term and pre-term children with regard to their intellectual development, language comprehension, attentiveness, and hyperactivity. Moreover, the pre-term children required more early intervention to compensate for developmental problems. The developmental deficits were intensified by the presence of biological risk factors like increasingly low birth weight, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and intraventricular haemorrhage.
Conclusion:
differences between term and pre-term children still exist, although the early 1990s witnessed fundamental changes in the treatment of pre-term children. The persistence of these differences is explained mainly by the increase in the survival rate of children with high biological risk factors.