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Updated: Sep 22, 2025
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Neurodevelopment at two years and appropriate schooling at five years in children born very preterm
Maya Gebus1, Marie Chevallier1,2, Laure-Anne Hatton1
1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Grenoble Alpes University Hospital, Grenoble, France.
Insights
High developmental quotient (DQ) at 2 years corrected age in preterm infants born at ≤32 weeks gestational age is strongly linked to appropriate schooling at 5 years. This finding aids clinicians and parents in neonatal follow-up.
Area of Science:
- Neonatology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Educational Psychology
Background:
- Preterm birth (≤32 weeks gestational age) poses risks for neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Early developmental assessment is crucial for identifying children needing support.
- Schooling success at age 5 is a key indicator of developmental progress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between developmental quotient (DQ) at 2 years corrected age and schooling level at 5 years in very preterm infants.
- To identify predictive factors for appropriate schooling without support in this cohort.
Main Methods:
- Single-centre retrospective cohort study of preterm infants (born 2010-2014).
- Developmental Quotient (DQ) assessed at 2 years corrected age using the revised Brunet-Lezine test.
- Schooling level at 5 years categorized as 'appropriate schooling' or 'schooling with support'.
Main Results:
- Developmental Quotient (DQ) data available for 251/270 (93%) infants; median DQ was 93.0.
- 171 children (68%) achieved schooling without support at 5 years.
- A DQ ≥100 at 2 years corrected age was the sole significant predictor of schooling without support at 5 years (OR=13.9; 95% CI: 5.5-35.4).
Conclusions:
- Early developmental assessment, specifically a high DQ at 2 years corrected age, is a strong predictor of successful school integration for very preterm infants.
- These findings can inform clinical practice and parental guidance during neonatal follow-up.
- Further research could explore interventions to improve developmental trajectories in this vulnerable population.
Aim:
This single-centre French cohort study evaluated the relationship between standardised assessment at 2 years of corrected age and schooling level at 5 years of age in children born at ≤32 weeks' gestational age.
Methods:
This was a single-centre retrospective study of children born preterm between 2010 and 2014 included in a follow-up network. At 5 years of age, the population was divided into 2 groups: (1) 'appropriate schooling', defined as age-appropriate schooling without support, and (2) 'schooling with support'. At 2 years of corrected age, the developmental quotient (DQ) was calculated using the revised Brunet-Lezine test. Neonatal variables and DQ categories were compared between the 2 groups on univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results:
DQ was available for 251 of the 270 children included (93%), with a median score of 93.0 (IQR [87.0-100.0]), and 171 children (68%) were in the schooling without support group. On multivariate analysis, DQ ≥100 (n = 67) was the only variable that significantly associated with schooling without support (OR = 13.9; 95% CI: 5.5-35.4) at 5 years of age.
Conclusion:
This result may be useful for clinicians in their routine practice and for information given to parents in neonatal follow-up.
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