Educational Performance of Extremely Preterm Infants in Primary School

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Neonatology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Improving survival rates for extremely preterm infants (<28 weeks' gestation) necessitates understanding their long-term academic trajectories.
• Standardized academic assessments provide crucial data on the school-age outcomes of this vulnerable population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the school-age academic performance of extremely preterm infants using nationwide standardized tests.
• To identify sociodemographic and health-related risk factors associated with academic underachievement in this cohort.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal data linkage study in New South Wales, Australia, involving infants born between 2001 and 2010.
• Linked administrative data (pregnancy, birth, hospital) with National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) results at ages 7-9.
• Analyzed participation in NAPLAN and performance relative to the National Minimum Standard (NMS), exploring risk factors.

Main Results:

• 86.6% of 1409 extremely preterm infants participated in the Grade 3 NAPLAN examination.
• 78.5% scored above the NMS in reading and 69.6% in numeracy.
• Parental sociodemographic factors and maternal smoking during pregnancy were significant risk factors for poorer academic outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The majority of extremely preterm infants achieve satisfactory academic results on standardized tests.
• While neonatal factors affected test participation, sociodemographic variables were more influential on performance.
• Targeted public health and educational interventions addressing social determinants of health are recommended to improve outcomes.