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Updated: Oct 29, 2025
Preterm EEG: A Multimodal Neurophysiological Protocol
Published on: February 18, 2012
Longitudinal Follow-Up of Children Born Preterm: Neurodevelopment From 2 to 10 Years of Age
Lisette Jansen1,2, Cacha M P C D Peeters-Scholte3, Annette A van den Berg-Huysmans4
1Department of Medical Psychology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, Netherlands.
Insights
Outcomes for children born very preterm can change significantly between early childhood and school age. While severe early impairments often persist, mild outcomes may shift, necessitating continued long-term monitoring.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Developmental Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- Children born very preterm (<32 weeks' gestation) are at increased risk for developmental impairments.
- Longitudinal studies are crucial for understanding the trajectory of these impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the rate and stability of impairments in very preterm children.
- To examine developmental outcomes in four domains at early (2 years) and school age (10 years).
- To analyze individual changes in outcomes between these two time points.
Main Methods:
- Prospective, longitudinal cohort study of children born <32 weeks' gestation.
- Standardized neurological, motor, cognitive, and behavioral assessments at 2 and 10 years.
- Categorization of impairments (none, mild, moderate-severe) and composite scoring.
Main Results:
- No significant group-level changes in impairment severity were observed between 2 and 10 years.
- Individually, a decrease in mild abnormal scores (44% to 20%) and an increase in moderate-severe abnormal scores (12% to 35%) were noted by age 10.
- Children with normal/mild outcomes at 2 years showed significant shifts in outcome categories by age 10.
Conclusions:
- Early severe impairments in very preterm children tend to persist into school age.
- Early normal or mild outcomes require careful interpretation due to potential for significant individual changes.
- Continued long-term follow-up until at least school age is recommended for all very preterm infants.
Abstract:
Objective: To investigate the rate and stability of impairments in children born preterm by assessing (1) early and school-age outcome in four developmental domains and (2) individual changes in outcome at both timepoints. Design: Prospective, longitudinal cohort study in children born in 2006-2007, <32 weeks' gestation. Follow-up at 2 and 10 years of age included standardized neurological, motor, cognitive and behavioral assessments. Children were categorized as having no, mild or moderate-severe impairment in these four domains. A composite impairment score was composed and the number of domains with impairments counted. For each child, individual outcomes at both timepoints were compared. Results: Follow-up at both time-points was available in 71/113(63%) children. At group level, there were no significant changes in the severity of impairments per domain. However, at individual level, there were less children with a mild abnormal composite score at 10 years of age (44 vs. 20%; p = 0.006), and more with a moderate-severe abnormal composite score (12 vs. 35%; p = 0.001). Especially children with normal/mild outcome at 2 years were likely to shift to other outcome categories over time. Conclusions: Children with early severe impairment are likely experiencing impairments later on, but early normal/mild abnormal outcomes should be interpreted with care, considering the large individual shifts over time. Long-term follow-up in all children born very preterm should therefore be continued to at least school-age.
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