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Is temperament associated with academic school readiness in children born very preterm?

Leanne Tamm1,2, James L Peugh1,2, Nehal A Parikh1,2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

Early Education and Development
|January 24, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Early temperament in very preterm infants is linked to school readiness. Positive Affectivity/Surgency at 3 months and Effortful Control at 3 years predict academic success, aiding early identification of at-risk children.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatric Medicine
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Temperament, assessed early, impacts school readiness and academic achievement in full-term children.
  • Preterm infants often exhibit dysregulated temperament and face increased risks for lower school readiness.
  • Limited research exists on the association between early temperament and school readiness in preterm populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between early temperament (negative affect, surgency, effortful control) and school readiness in very preterm children.
  • To determine if temperament assessed at 3 months and 3 years corrected age predicts school readiness at 3 years corrected age.
  • To facilitate early identification and intervention for academic risks in preterm infants.

Main Methods:

  • Longitudinal study of 297 very preterm infants (53.9% male).
  • Temperament ratings (negative affect, surgency, effortful control) collected at 3 months and 3 years corrected ages.
  • School readiness assessed using the Bracken Basic Concept Scale and ABAS-3 Functional Pre-Academics at 3 years corrected age.

Main Results:

  • Positive Affectivity/Surgency ratings at 3 months were significantly associated with the Bracken Basic Concept Scale - School Readiness composite score.
  • Effortful Control ratings at 3 years corrected age were significantly associated with ABAS-3 Functional Pre-Academics ratings.
  • Associations remained significant after controlling for key covariates.

Conclusions:

  • Early temperament, specifically Positive Affectivity/Surgency, is a significant predictor of school readiness in very preterm children.
  • Effortful control later in development also predicts academic-related skills in this population.
  • These findings support early temperament assessment for identifying preterm infants at risk for school entry difficulties.
Abstract

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