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Cognitive and academic outcomes of children born extremely preterm

Leona Pascoe1, Alice C Burnett2, Peter J Anderson1

  • 1Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Australia; Clinical Sciences, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.

Seminars in Perinatology
|October 17, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Children born extremely preterm face lasting cognitive and academic challenges that do not improve with age. Despite neonatal care advances, these neurodevelopmental problems persist throughout childhood and adolescence, highlighting a need for further research.

Area of Science:

  • Neurodevelopmental science
  • Pediatric neurology
  • Developmental psychology

Background:

  • Extremely preterm birth (before 25 weeks gestation) is linked to significant neurodevelopmental risks.
  • Cognitive and academic outcomes in these children are a major concern for long-term health.
  • Previous research indicates persistent challenges, but the trajectory over time needs further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the nature of cognitive and academic outcomes in extremely preterm survivors.
  • To analyze developmental trajectories from childhood through adolescence.
  • To identify gaps in understanding individual outcome variability.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic review of meta-analyses and large prospective birth cohort studies.
  • Analysis of cognitive and academic data across childhood and adolescence.
  • Synthesis of existing evidence on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Early cognitive and academic difficulties in extremely preterm infants persist into later life.
  • These challenges have not shown improvement over time, despite advances in neonatal intensive care.
  • Significant individual variability exists in the cognitive and academic outcomes of extremely preterm survivors.

Conclusions:

  • Extremely preterm birth confers a high risk for pervasive cognitive difficulties.
  • There is a critical need for longitudinal studies to track cognitive development.
  • Further research should focus on factors influencing outcome variability in extremely preterm survivors.

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