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Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Neurological, cognitive and learning evaluation of students who were born preterm
André Luis Santos do Carmo1, Fernanda Wagner Fredo1, Isac Bruck1
1Universidade Federal do Paraná. Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
Insights
Preterm infants often face learning challenges, with many showing poor performance in reading, writing, and math. Neonatal factors significantly impact cognitive and academic development in school-aged children born prematurely.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Premature birth can affect long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Understanding the cognitive and academic profiles of school-aged preterm children is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the cognitive and academic performance of school-aged children born prematurely.
- To identify prematurity-related and sociodemographic factors influencing these outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Recruited school-aged children (6-14 years) from a preterm follow-up clinic.
- Conducted comprehensive evaluations of cognitive, academic, and neurological functions.
- Collected neonatal data from patient records.
Main Results:
- High rates of academic difficulties were observed: 38.4% in writing, 57.5% in reading, and 42.5% in mathematics.
- Lower gestational age and birth weight were associated with poorer cognitive scores (IQ, mini-mental status).
- Factors like family structure and maternal age also showed associations with academic performance.
Conclusions:
- School-aged children born preterm exhibit a high prevalence of cognitive and academic deficits.
- Learning difficulties are common in this population.
- Neonatal variables play a significant role in the altered cognitive and developmental trajectories of preterm children.
Objective:
To evaluate the cognitive and academic profile of preterm newborns at school age and to determine the factors related to prematurity and sociodemographic profile that influence these results.
Methods:
Patients aged 6-14 years old that were assisted in the preterm follow-up clinic were recruited. The cognitive, academic, and neurological capacities were accessed through a detailed evaluation with a child neurologist, a neuropsychologist and a psychopedagogue. Neonatal data were collected from patient records.
Results:
97 children were included and 14 were excluded from the study, resulting in 83 children. Gestational age (GA) was 30±3 weeks and weight at birth was 1138g (605 to 4185g). Poor performance was shown in 38.4% for writing, 57.5% for reading and 42.5% for mathematics. The mean total intelligence quotient (IQ) was 96±14.9 points, and 10.9% were considered altered. Children with unstructured families presented 78.3% of failure in reading tests (p=0.029). The multivariate analysis showed association between GA at birth and classic mini-mental score (p=0.043), total IQ (p=0.047), perceptual organization IQ (p=0.035), and processing speed IQ (p=0.036). There was also association between weight at birth and the classic (p=0.004) and adapted (p=0.007) mini-mental scores; invasive mechanic ventilation duration and classic mini-mental (p=0.049); and lower maternal age and processing speed IQ (p=0.033).
Conclusions:
Preterm infants at school age had high frequency of failure in cognitive and academic evaluation tests. Learning difficulties are high among them. Multiple neonatal variables are related with altered cognitive and students development.
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