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Executive functions, social information processing, and social adjustment in young children born with very low birth

Kelly R Wolfe1, Kathryn Vannatta, Mary Ann Nelin

  • 1a Department of Psychology , Nationwide Children's Hospital , Columbus , Ohio , USA.

Child Neuropsychology : a Journal on Normal and Abnormal Development in Childhood and Adolescence
|December 19, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Children born with very low birth weight (VLBW) show similar executive functions (EFs) and social skills in early childhood compared to controls. However, early EFs may be linked to social processing in VLBW children.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Children born with very low birth weight (VLBW) face risks for neurocognitive and behavioral issues.
  • Existing research highlights higher risks for executive function (EF) and social deficits in school-aged VLBW children.
  • Limited studies explore these sequelae and their associations in younger VLBW children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between executive functions (EFs) and social functioning in preschool-aged children born VLBW.
  • To compare EFs and social functioning in VLBW children with term-born, normal birth weight controls.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 20 preterm, VLBW children (age 4-6 years) and 18 matched term-born, normal birth weight controls.
  • Assessed EFs, social information processing, and parent-reported social adjustment.
  • Compared cognitive and social measures between groups and analyzed predictors within the VLBW group.

Main Results:

  • No significant group differences were found in EFs, social information processing, or social adjustment.
  • VLBW children had lower IQs than controls, but both means were within the average range.
  • Older gestational age and absence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia predicted better EFs in VLBW children.
  • EFs and social information processing were positively correlated across all children.

Conclusions:

  • Deficits in EFs and social functioning may not be apparent until after the preschool years in VLBW children.
  • Improved neonatal care may be mitigating cognitive and psychosocial sequelae in VLBW populations.
  • Early executive functions in VLBW children may be directly associated with their social information processing abilities.

Keywords:
Executive functionPrematuritySocial adjustmentSocial information processingVery low birth weight

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