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Academic school readiness in children born very preterm and associated risk factors

Pratibha Kashev Agarwal1, Qishi Zheng2, Phey Hong Yang1

  • 1Department of Child Development, KK Women's and Children's Hospital, Bukit Timah Rd, 100, Singapore 229899, Singapore.

Early Human Development
|February 21, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Preterm very low birth weight children show lower school readiness, with prematurity and social risk factors impacting development. These deficits persist even in preterm children with normal IQ scores.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Pediatrics
  • Neuroscience
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Intelligence Quotient (IQ) tests may not capture subtle cognitive deficits.
  • Preterm very low birth weight (PT/VLBW) children may experience specific learning, memory, attention, and executive function challenges.
  • Assessing school readiness (SR) in PT/VLBW children is crucial for early intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Evaluate cognitive performance and academic school readiness (SR) in PT/VLBW children compared to term controls.
  • Identify factors affecting SR in PT/VLBW children, including those with IQ > 85.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective cohort study of 123 PT/VLBW survivors and 74 term controls in Singapore.
  • Assessed SR at 5.5 years using WPPSI-III, BSRA-3, and VMI.
  • Calculated Social Risk Composite Score (SRCS) and used regression analyses to identify risk factors.

Main Results:

  • PT/VLBW children had significantly lower composite scores on WPPSI-III, BSRA-3, and VMI compared to term controls.
  • These cognitive and SR differences remained significant after adjustment for confounding factors.
  • Higher SRCS was associated with poorer academic SR in PT/VLBW children.

Conclusions:

  • Prematurity and high social composite risk scores are significant risk factors for academic SR.
  • These risk factors negatively impact SR even in PT/VLBW children with normal cognitive scores (IQ > 85).
  • Early identification and support for PT/VLBW children are essential to mitigate developmental risks.
Abstract

Keywords:
IntelligenceLow birth weightPre-term childrenSchool performanceSocial factors

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