Eight-year-old very and extremely preterm children showed more difficulties in performance intelligence than verbal

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Sarit van Veen1,2, Aleid G van Wassenaer-Leemhuis1, Jaap Oosterlaan2,3

  • 1Department of Neonatology, Emma Children's Hospital, Amsterdam UMC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Acta Paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992)
|November 20, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Very preterm and extremely preterm children show lower performance IQ than verbal IQ at age 8. This performance deficit is linked to mathematical difficulties and predicted by early cognitive scores and gestational age.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Very preterm (VPT) and extremely preterm (EPT) birth are associated with neurodevelopmental challenges.
  • Discrepancies in cognitive abilities, specifically between verbal and performance IQ, may impact academic outcomes.
  • Understanding these cognitive profiles is crucial for early intervention and support.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate discrepancies between verbal IQ and performance IQ in 8-year-old VPT/EPT children.
  • To examine associations between these IQ domains and sociodemographic, perinatal, and early cognitive factors.
  • To determine the relationship between IQ scores and school achievement in arithmetic, reading, and spelling.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 120 VPT/EPT children assessed at ages 2, 5, and 8 years.
  • Cognitive development evaluated using IQ assessments at age 8.
  • School achievement data (arithmetic, reading, spelling) collected at age 8.
  • Multiple regression analyses used to identify predictors of IQ and associations with school achievement.

Main Results:

  • Mean performance IQ (89.8) was significantly lower than mean verbal IQ (99.4) in 8-year-old VPT/EPT children.
  • Gestational age, small for gestational age status, and earlier cognitive scores predicted later IQ.
  • Performance IQ at age 8 was a significant predictor of arithmetic scores (β = 0.42).

Conclusions:

  • Performance IQ is more affected than verbal IQ in VPT/EPT children at age 8.
  • Lower performance IQ is strongly associated with mathematical difficulties.
  • Early cognitive assessments and perinatal factors are important predictors of cognitive outcomes in preterm children.
Abstract

Keywords:
IQ profileschild developmentprematurityschool achievementschool age

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