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Published on: July 9, 2016
Visual Perception, Fine Motor, and Visual-Motor Skills in Very Preterm and Term-Born Children before School
Anne-Kathrin Dathe1, Julia Jaekel2, Julia Franzel3
1Department of Paediatrics I, Neonatology, Paediatric Intensive Care and Paediatric Neurology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45122 Essen, North-Rhine Westphalia, Germany.
Insights
Very preterm children face higher risks of developmental delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills. Early identification and intervention are crucial for these children before school entry.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
Background:
- Very preterm (VP) children (<32 weeks gestation) are vulnerable to developmental challenges.
- Delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills are critical for school readiness but understudied in VP populations.
- These skills impact daily functioning and academic success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills in a contemporary cohort of VP children before school entry.
- To compare the performance and rates of developmental delay in these skills between VP children and term-born controls.
- To identify the specific risks and prevalence of delays in VP children.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 60 VP children and 60 matched term-born controls were assessed before school entry.
- The Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC-2) and the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-2) were administered.
- Linear and logistic regressions were used to analyze group differences and rates of developmental delay.
Main Results:
- VP children demonstrated significantly lower scores in visual perception (β = -0.25, p = 0.006), fine motor (β = -0.44, p < 0.001), and visual-motor skills (β = -0.46, p < 0.001) compared to term-born controls.
- The rate of developmental delay (<-1 SD) was significantly higher in VP children for visual perception (OR = 3.4), fine motor (OR = 6.2), and visual-motor skills (OR = 13.4).
- VP children showed a substantially increased risk for clinically relevant delays across all assessed skill domains.
Conclusions:
- Very preterm children are at a significantly increased risk for clinically relevant developmental delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills.
- These findings underscore the importance of targeted developmental assessments for VP children prior to school entry.
- Early identification and timely intervention during the preschool years are recommended to support the developmental trajectory of VP children.
Abstract:
Very preterm children (<32 weeks gestation at birth; VP) are at risk of developmental difficulties. Specific functional difficulties and delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills have received little research attention, although they are critical for daily life and school readiness. Our aim was to assess these skills in a contemporary cohort of 60 VP and 60 matched term-born children before school entry. We administered the Movement Assessment Battery for Children (M-ABC-2) and the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-2). Linear and logistic regressions were run to test group differences in performance and rates of developmental delay in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills. Very preterm children had lower scores than term-born children in visual perception (β = -0.25; p = 0.006), fine motor (β = -0.44; p < 0.001), and visual-motor tasks (β = -0.46; p < 0.001). The rate of developmental delay (<-1 SD) was higher among VP in visual perception (odds ratio (OR) = 3.4; 95% confidence interval (CI 1.1-10.6)), fine motor (OR = 6.2 (2.4-16.0)), and visual-motor skills (OR = 13.4 (4.1-43.9)) than in term-born controls. VP children are at increased risk for clinically relevant developmental delays in visual perception, fine motor, and visual-motor skills. Following up VP children until preschool age may facilitate early identification and timely intervention.
