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Published on: July 9, 2016
[Impact of very preterm birth on visuospatial processes at 5 years of age]
H Deforge1, M Andre, J-M Hascoet
1Service de néonatalogie, maternité régionale de Nancy, 10, rue du Docteur Heydenreich, 54042, Nancy cedex, France. h.deforge@maternite.chu-nancy.fr
Insights
Very preterm birth negatively impacts preschool children's visuospatial skills. These cognitive deficits, assessed using K-ABC and WPPSI-R, can affect school and daily life activities.
Area of Science:
- Developmental psychology
- Neuroscience
Context:
- Very preterm birth (VBP) is associated with increased risks of cognitive and behavioral difficulties.
- Understanding the specific impact of VBP on early cognitive development is crucial for timely interventions.
Purpose:
- To assess the impact of very preterm birth on visuospatial processing abilities in preschool-aged children.
- To investigate the relationship between gestational age at birth and visuospatial performance.
Summary:
- This study analyzed data from 183 children in France, comparing term-born, very preterm (28-32 GW), and extremely preterm (<28 GW) infants.
- Visuospatial performance was evaluated at age 5 using K-ABC and WPPSI-R subtests. Results indicated significantly lower scores for preterm children compared to term-born peers.
- Extremely preterm infants performed worse than very preterm infants on specific K-ABC subtests. Maternal education level also showed a correlation with performance.
Impact:
- Very preterm birth appears to negatively affect visuospatial and visuomotor skills in early childhood.
- These identified deficits may lead to challenges in academic settings and everyday life activities.
- Findings highlight the need for targeted support for very preterm children to mitigate long-term developmental consequences.
Objective:
Very preterm children can experience cognitive and behavioral difficulties. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of very preterm birth on visuospatial processes at preschool age.
Design And Methods:
Data come from the Epipage study. Participants underwent a follow-up evaluation at age 5 years. During the psychological evaluation, children took subtests of the K-ABC and the WPPSI-R. Six subtests are based on visuospatial information.
Results:
The results concern 183 children assessed in the Lorraine region of France, who were born with birthweight appropriate for gestational age and had no neurological sequelae. Thirty-six children were born at term, 112 were born very prematurely (28-32 GW), and 35 were born extremely prematurely (<28 GW). Birth term was significantly correlated with performance on the six subtests. In all cases, the children born at term obtained higher scores compared to the children born very prematurely and extremely prematurely. On two subtests of the K-ABC, the children born extremely prematurely obtained lower scores than those of the children born very prematurely. The mother's level of education was correlated with performance on three subtests.
Conclusion:
The results suggest that a very preterm birth can exert a negative impact on visuospatial and visuomotor processes. These deficits may involve difficulties in some activities at school and in daily life.
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