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Intellectual outcome, speech and school performance in high risk preterm children with birth weight appropriate for
R H Largo1, L Molinari, S Kundu
1Growth and Development Centre, Universitäts-Kinderspital Zürich, Switzerland.
Insights
Preterm infants often show comparable intellectual development to full-term peers, but some preterm boys and girls experience lower IQ scores and school performance issues. Speech and neurological development are more closely linked in preterm children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Preterm infants, particularly those appropriate for gestational age, represent a high-risk group due to perinatal factors.
- Previous research indicates varied developmental outcomes for preterm children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intellectual development, speech, and school performance of preterm infants.
- To compare outcomes between preterm and term infants.
Main Methods:
- A longitudinal study of 97 preterm and 93 term children.
- A cross-sectional study of 249 preterm children.
- Assessment of intellectual outcome at 5 and 7 years, school performance, and neurological development.
Main Results:
- Most preterm children had intellectual outcomes comparable to term children.
- A subset of preterm boys (8%) and girls (2%) had lower IQ scores than term controls.
- Preterm boys and girls exhibited higher rates of school grade level deficits and speech disorders (articulation defects, stuttering, dysgrammatism) compared to term children.
- Intellectual, neurological, and school performance were more interrelated in preterm than term children.
Conclusions:
- While many preterm infants achieve normal intellectual development, a significant minority face challenges in cognitive and academic areas.
- Speech and neurological development are critical factors influencing school performance in preterm populations.
- Early identification and intervention are crucial for preterm children facing developmental risks.
Abstract:
Intellectual development, speech and school performance of preterm infants with birth weight appropriate for gestational age are reported in two separate investigations: a longitudinal study of 97 preterm children and 93 term children as a control group, and a cross-sectional study of 249 preterm children. Both preterm groups were regarded as high risk groups with respect to number of outborns, distribution of gestational age and perinatal risk factors. Intellectual outcome at 5 and 7 years of age in the majority of the preterm children was comparable to that of the term children. However, 8% of the preterm boys and 2% of the preterm girls achieved lower IQ scores than any of the term children. Between 15% and 17% of the preterm boys and 9%-12% of the preterm girls did not attend school at grade level, compared to 4% and 2% in the term group, respectively. Intellectual and neurological development and school performance were higher interrelated in the preterm than in the term children. Articulation defects, stuttering and dysgrammatism occurred more frequently in the preterm than in the term children and in boys more so than in girls.