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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Patterns of functioning and predictive factors in children born moderately preterm or at term
Renata Cserjesi1, Koenraad Nja VAN Braeckel, Marieke Timmerman
1Department of Clinical and Developmental Neuropsychology, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands. r.cserjesi@rug.nl
Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology
|May 29, 2012
Summary
Children born moderately preterm (MPT) show slightly affected neurodevelopmental functioning at school age. Poorer performance is linked to below-average abilities, particularly in children with low parental education.
Area of Science:
- Neurodevelopmental Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Health
Background:
- Children born moderately preterm (MPT) may experience neurodevelopmental challenges.
- Identifying distinct functioning subgroups and predictive factors is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify subgroups of children born MPT and at term with varying functional levels.
- To determine perinatal and demographic predictors of subgroup membership.
Main Methods:
- Latent class analyses were conducted on 378 seven-year-old children (248 MPT, 130 term).
- Measures included intelligence, memory, attention, executive function, and motor skills.
- χ(2) automatic interaction detection identified subgroup-predictor associations.
Main Results:
- Four distinct performance subgroups were identified.
- Parental education was the sole significant predictor of subgroup assignment (p < 0.01).
- The lowest-performing subgroup exhibited irregular patterns, with attentional deficits but relative strengths in intelligence and memory.
Conclusions:
- Poorer performance in MPT children reflects a higher proportion of below-average functioning, not an extremely impaired subgroup.
- MPT birth has a slight impact on neurodevelopmental functioning at early school age.
- Low parental education exacerbates the effects of MPT birth on neurodevelopment.
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