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Preterm children's developmental coordination disorder, cognition and quality of life: a prospective cohort study

Karoliina Uusitalo1,2, Leena Haataja3,4, Anna Nyman5

  • 1Pediatric Neurology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.

BMJ Paediatrics Open
|June 11, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) affects 11.3% of children born very preterm at age 11, impacting cognition and quality of life. Despite challenges, their health-related quality of life exceeds general population norms.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Children born very preterm face higher risks for neurodevelopmental challenges.
  • Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a common motor disorder affecting children's daily lives.
  • Understanding DCD's impact on cognition and quality of life in this population is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of DCD in children born very preterm at 11 years of age.
  • To investigate the correlation between DCD, cognitive function, and self-experienced health-related quality of life (HRQoL).
  • To compare the HRQoL of very preterm children with DCD to their peers and population norms.

Main Methods:

  • A prospective follow-up study of 170 children born very preterm in Finland.
  • Motor skills assessed using Movement Assessment Battery for Children - Second Edition (Movement ABC-2).
  • Cognitive abilities evaluated with Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children - Fourth Edition (WISC-IV); HRQoL measured by the 17-Dimensional Illustrated Questionnaire (17D).

Main Results:

  • 11.3% of very preterm children were diagnosed with DCD (Movement ABC-2 score ≤5th percentile).
  • DCD correlated with poorer cognitive scores (Full-Scale IQ 76.8 vs 91.6, p=0.001) and lower self-reported HRQoL (17D 0.93 vs 0.96, p=0.03).
  • Despite lower HRQoL compared to peers without motor impairment, very preterm children reported better HRQoL than Finnish population norms (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

  • DCD remains prevalent at age 11 in children born very preterm.
  • DCD is associated with impaired cognitive development and reduced health-related quality of life.
  • Very preterm children, even with DCD, demonstrate a higher HRQoL compared to the general population.
Abstract

Keywords:
neonatologyneurodevelopmentoutcomes research

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