Neurodevelopment at Two Years in Preterm Infants: Corrected Versus Chronological Age

Area of Science:

• Pediatric developmental neuroscience
• Neonatal developmental assessment

Background:

• Preterm birth significantly increases the risk of neurodevelopmental delays.
• The necessity and timing of age correction in developmental assessments for preterm infants are debated.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate psychomotor development in preterm children at two years corrected age.
• To determine if age correction is still necessary at this age, considering different gestational age groups.

Main Methods:

• 161 preterm infants were assessed at a mean chronological age of 25.4 months (corrected age: 23.3 months).
• Comparison groups included typically developing children matched for corrected age (N=88) and chronological age (N=87).
• Preterm infants were stratified by gestational age: extremely preterm (<28 weeks), very preterm (28-31 weeks), and moderate-to-late preterm (32-36 weeks). Bayley-III scales (Cognitive, Language, Motor) were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Using corrected age, preterm children showed specific deficits in Receptive Language and Gross Motor skills.
• Chronological age scoring revealed generalized delays across all developmental domains.
• Extremely preterm infants exhibited significant language vulnerabilities, exacerbated by chronological scoring.

Conclusions:

• Corrected age assessment is essential up to 24 months for preterm children, particularly those extremely or very preterm.
• Chronological scoring may overestimate developmental delays in early assessments.
• Tailored age correction strategies based on gestational age and developmental domain are recommended for accurate developmental trajectory evaluation.