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Published on: December 26, 2013
Heterogeneity of the attentional system's efficiency among very prematurely born pre-schoolers
Tamara Walczak-Kozłowska1, Magdalena Chrzan-Dętkoś2, Michał Harciarek1
1Division of Neuropsychology, Institute of Psychology, Department of the Social Sciences, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Insights
Very preterm birth can impact attention, but not all children are affected. Deficits in attentional alerting and orienting are linked to lower birth weight and family income.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Very preterm birth is a known risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD.
- Previous research indicated attentional deficits in preterm children but lacked intragroup differentiation.
- Understanding individual differences in attentional mechanisms is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate inter-individual differences in attentional system functioning among very preterm children.
- To identify biomedical and non-biomedical factors associated with attentional deficits in this population.
Main Methods:
- The study assessed attentional processes in 5-year-old children using the Attention Network Task - Child Version.
- Participants included very preterm children and a comparison group of full-term children.
- Attentional efficiency was measured across alerting, orienting, and executive control networks.
Main Results:
- 26% of very preterm children exhibited suboptimal attentional functioning (alerting and orienting deficits).
- 74% of very preterm children showed normal attentional efficiency, similar to full-term peers.
- Attentional deficits were significantly associated with lower birth weight and reduced family living standards.
Conclusions:
- Very preterm children represent a heterogeneous group regarding attentional system efficiency.
- Targeted early developmental support for attention should prioritize very preterm children with lower birth weight.
- Identifying specific risk factors can guide interventions to improve attentional outcomes.
Abstract:
Very preterm birth increases the risk of ADHD as well as other neurodevelopmental disorders. Deficits within the attentional system were previously signaled in preterm children; however, studies lacked in consideration of an intragroup differentiation. Thus, this study aimed to verify whether deficits in the attentional mechanisms are inter-individually differentiated among very prematurely born children and if so, which biomedical and non-biomedical factors are associated with the profile of deficits within the attentional system. We tested the efficiency of attentional processes among 5-year-old children with the Attention Network Task - Child Version. The results have indicated that 26% of very preterm children presented with the suboptimal functioning of the attentional system (more than 1 SD below mean score of full-term children in attentional alerting and orienting), whereas 74% were characterized by the normal efficiency of attention. The profile of attentional deficits observed among very preterm preschoolers was associated with significantly lower birth weight and decreased family living standard. Very prematurely born children are thus a relatively heterogeneous group in terms of the efficiency of attentional system and deficits apply to only some of those children. Early developmental support aimed at enhancing attentional functioning should be addressed to children with lower birth weight in the first place.
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