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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
19:15

Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale

Published on: August 25, 2014

Very preterm children show impairments across multiple neurodevelopmental domains by age 4 years

L J Woodward1, S Moor, K M Hood

  • 1Canterbury Child Development Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand. lianne.woodward@canterbury.ac.nz

Archives of Disease in Childhood. Fetal and Neonatal Edition
|March 25, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children born extremely preterm (EPT) and very preterm (VPT) face higher risks of neurodevelopmental issues. These preterm infants often experience multiple domain impairments, impacting their development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric neurology
  • Developmental psychology
  • Public health

Background:

  • Preterm birth is a significant concern for child health and education.
  • Neurodevelopmental outcomes in extremely preterm (EPT) and very preterm (VPT) children require thorough investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess neuromotor, cognitive, language, and emotional/behavioral outcomes in 4-year-old children born EPT (23-27 weeks), VPT (28-33 weeks), and full term (FT: 38-41 weeks).
  • To identify risks of impairment across multiple neurodevelopmental domains in preterm populations.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective longitudinal study of 105 VPT and 107 FT children born 1998-2000.
  • Comprehensive multidisciplinary assessment at 4 years corrected age, including neurological examination, cognitive and language testing, and emotional/behavioral assessment.

Main Results:

  • EPT and VPT children showed significantly higher risks of cerebral palsy, cognitive delay, language delay, and emotional/behavioral problems compared to FT children.
  • Children born EPT and VPT were three times more likely to have impairments in multiple neurodevelopmental domains than FT children.
  • Specific risks: Cerebral palsy (EPT 18%, VPT 15%), Cognitive delay (EPT 33%, VPT 36%), Language delay (EPT 29%, VPT 29%), Emotional/behavioral problems (EPT 37%, VPT 13%).

Conclusions:

  • A significant proportion of preschool children born preterm exhibit clinically significant neurodevelopmental problems.
  • Impairment across multiple domains is common in preterm survivors.
  • Monitoring preschool development across various domains is crucial, considering the cascading effects of multiple impairments.
Abstract

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